Green Tomorrows
by purplerainbows
Summary: She couldn't love him. She wouldn't. It wasn't fair to him. How could she, when a medical miracle should happen, for her to live, till she was eighteen? Nitchie/NateMitchie.
1. NY Stars

_They say, I'm so empty  
no surface, no depth  
Oh, please, can I be you  
your personality's so great _

''This sucks.'' Sighed an 17-year old Shane Gray and banged his head multiple times on the table, he and his brother were currently sitting at. His little brother, Nate, had to roll his eyes at his brothers nonstop whining. The only one who could turn things around, was after all, himself.

''Seriously, stop being such a drama queen and just tell her!'' he sighed an aggravated sigh.

''Sure, I'll just go tell Amy that our relationship is making me miserable, and has for the last month, but I just haven't had the guts to tell her! Sure, I'll go say that!'' Shane cried and threw his arms a little uncontrollably around the air. The intention was probably to make an dramatic statement, but if you saw him from afar you'd think he was choking and screaming for help. Shaking his head with a chuckle, the curly haired boy went back to reading his Rolling Stones magazine, as a tall brunette entered the coffee house.

Irritated with his little brothers lack of compassion, the elder one of the boys quickly fixed his attention on the newly arrived girl. She was cute. She definitely was. Her hair was long, brown and loosely pulled into a ponytail. Some extremely dark haired girls, with facial hair problems, called her attention and then waved at her. It was clear, to Shane, that she had no idea, who they were but she waved and smiled at them anyhow.

So, she was a miss popularity, he thought. She kind of reminded him of a brunette Serena van der Woodsen. Whom he only knew the name of, because his cousin's obssesion with Gossip Girl books, _of course_. Not like he was into that kind of girly stuff. Psshh.

When he looked closer, he noticed that all the girls were wearing the same uniform. Well, almost. It looked like his mystery girl had, instead of the usual dark green sweater, worn an oversized boys jacket, with the sleeves pulled up, and a slightly different shirt with a black tie. He grinned. That was his kind of girl. 'Don't fit in, stand out.' That was the motto of a new movie they had just finished. He and his brothers lived by it, everyday. And by the looks of it, so did she.

She was her dream girl. Well, she sure looked like it. If she was from Australia, that song would so describe her. She didn't look like she was from Australia, though. Deciding to find out, he looked around and made his decision. ''I'll be right back.'' he told his brother, and rose from his seat.

Nate looked up from his magazine, and then followed his brothers gaze. ''Wha-- Oh, no. Shane, please don't.'' he begged, and threw his head on the table, mimicking his brothers earlier actions, when he saw where he was headed.

Shane just rolled his eyes, and fixated his attention on the girl whom was now waiting on… well, whatever she ordered. He stood behind her, and saw her tapping her black painted nails on the counter. A smile stretched his face, at her impatience. Just as he was about to say his usual line. 'I've got my library card, and I'm checking you out', she turned to him. ''Don't.'' she said with an European accent, her voice hoarse. Damn, there went the Australian theory right down the toilet.

''I'm sorry?'' he asked, taken aback. He didn't even had the chance to say it! Jason was right, he really did need new pick-up lines.

''Look, I'm flattered and all, but you really don't want to hit on me.'' the brunette girl told him, looking him in the eyes. She was even more beautiful up close, and about the same height as him, maybe an inch shorter.

''Oh really, and why's that?'' he asked, and leaned up against the counter. The girl shook her head, as she received her ice blended frapuccino, though her pearly white smile couldn't be suppressed. ''Because, Shane Gray, 17, I'm Michelle Torres, 13.'' Michelle explained, and at the boys shocked expression, she laughed and laid a frail hand his muscular shoulder.

''Don't worry, I get that a lot. But never before from a rock star, though.'' she shrugged her fragile-looking shoulders and gave him a small amused smile, before turning around, and making her way out on the Manhattan street again.

''Oh, wow.'' came Nate up laughing on the side of Shane. ''You got dumped,'' he laughed and patted his big brother on the shoulder, but Shane didn't seem fazed by it.

''She was so… awesome.'' he explained, and looked over at Nate. ''Wasn't she just so awesome?'' he asked in awe, as he followed her with his eyes. She wasn't watching where she was going, her phone held her attention, as she collided with a guy, wearing the same jacket as hers. So he was right, she did wear the boys jacket! But wait, if she was only thirteen that guy was definitely older than her, and she was hugging him!

Oh well, he still thought she was awesome. His little brother laughed and shook his head, when he noticed where Shane's eyes were glued to. But he had to admit, this girl was definitely awesome. She obviously knew who Connect 3 were, and she must have not totally despised them since she knew how old they were. And then she still just go there and turns down Shane? Oh yeah, definitely Nate's favorite girl of the day.

''Yeah, she was awesome.'' he laughed, and patted his still-shocked brothers back, before taking on a pair of sunglasses, ready to face the frenzy. Paparazzi time. _This, I could live without,_ he thought, as he followed his little brother in to the madness.

* * *

_Like new buildings  
square tall and the same  
Sorry, Miss Stupid  
didn't you know it was a game_

It was a week after New York, and Shane wanted to give Jason a really good reason, but he couldn't. They were back in LA and his big brother had asked him why that he after all these month, of whining about his miserable relationship with Amy Michaels, suddenly had decided that right now was the time to break up with her. Why it was right now that Jason should drive him to her house. Why it was right now, when Jason had a date with Chloe… something.

Shane hadn't bothered to learn the rest. She had been in one of their music videos, but he could feel that she was about to get dumped. Or maybe the other way round. That wasn't the point, though. The point was that, his meeting with Michelle had changed something in him. But that's the thing. She didn't say anything wise to him, that he could sit and wonder about. This wasn't like an episode of Grey's Anatomy where Meredith has just decided to move in with McDreamy, but then her patient tells her how bad her/his marriage is and then Meredith suddenly changes her mind.

Michelle, she just…Well, like he said, he couldn't give Jason that really good reason he needed. Which meant that Shane had to bike. These were the times where he cursed himself for never getting that drivers license.

Shane hopped of his bike, and threw it on the lawn. He knew that Amy was a catch, and yeah, anyone would be lucky to date her. But… something about the two of them just didn't work out. He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't lie to her. Not anymore, at least.

As he was walking, the white front door in front of him his destination, he wondered for a moment what he was actually going to say to her. How to break it off. Oh, damn these spur of the moment things. Why didn't he plan this? Oh, right. Michelle & Grey's Anatomy.

Nevertheless, he found his feet bringing him to the front door and his hand on the door bell, soon followed by a bubbly Amy standing there in the doorway. Her happiness made him feel like crap, because of what he was about to do. ''Shane!'' she squealed, which was a very uncommon thing for her to do.

He slightly winced when she threw her hands around his neck, and said something about that she hadn't seen him in forever. Yeah, there was a reason for that, he thought. ''Hi Manda.'' he smiled a tight smile at her. She must've noticed that Shane didn't hug her back, because she pulled back awkwardly and looked him confused in the eyes.

He didn't say anything, but just send her a pitiful look, which made her look someone, you would pity. ''Is something wrong?'' she asked confused, as she blew some hair out of her face. ''Let's go to your room.'' he sighed.

Yup, she definitely looked pitiable.

''Uhm, Shane is something wrong?'' she asked, concerned and had a serious look in her eyes. Almost as if she was trying to read his secret in his features.

Shane & Amy stood awkwardly in her room, 2 feet between them. When he let his eyes glance over the various music posters in her bedroom, and all the pictures of them together, he knew that she must've known something was not right. You could cut the tension with a spoon.

''I…'' Shane began, but then sighed, and sat down on Amanda's bed. ''You… what?'' she asked, a small smile stretching on her face. However, when she saw no sign of joy or joking in his eyes, the small quickly turned into a frown. Shane sighed again, and pulled his own hair. ''Amanda, we need to talk.''

Amy swallowed the forming lump in her throat, and answered, ''Yeah, I think you're right.'' before sitting down on the floor.

''I don't think this is working out.'' he told her, indicating the two of them. ''This, us, we.'' Shane closed his eyes shut, waiting for her reaction. Someone just kill him, already. This is why he had postponed this break-up for so long.

''Oh.'' was all the response her heard from her, which made him open his eyes. He saw her looking down at her hands, a single tear fighting it's way down her cheek.

''Oh?'' he asked, confused. She looked up, anger suddenly burning in her eyes. Wrong move.

''What the hell am I supposed to say, huh Shane? 'I understand, let's just be friends?' Is that what I'm supposed to say?'' she exploded, and stood up. Shane stood up as well, and opened his mouth to say something, but Amy beat him to it. ''Well, I can't! Cos I don't understand! Okay? I thought everything was fine between us! And you know what else? I sure as hell don't want to be your friend.'' she finished, crossing her arms, a silent tear rolling down her pale face.

''Manda…'' Shane tried to soothe her, but she turned around.

''I'd like you to go. Now.'' he could hear a sob escaping her throat, and as much as it was breaking him to see this upset, he also knew that it wasn't his job to make her feel better again. It wasn't his job, to wipe her tears and hold her close. It wasn't his job to whisper in her ear, that everything would be okay. Not anymore. So, as he turned on his heel and walked down the long staircase, he knew it would be for the last time.

''Shane?'' a voice asked behind him, which made him look up. She was grinning. ''Taking off so soon?'' Alyson, Amy's sister asked, with a smile. ''You didn't get into a fight did you?'' she joked, with a laugh.

Shane looked at her, guilty of what he had done to her baby sister. ''You better check up on her, she seemed upset.'' he told her, and was about to open the door when he heard Aly's voice again.

''Wait, are you serious?'' she asked, her voice alarmed. This time he didn't turn around. He opened the door, and walked out into the night.

Well, down to where he had thrown his bike earlier. Despite the feeling of horror toward himself, a smile couldn't be suppressed from his face. He was free. Finally. That little green monster, who had followed for almost two months now, that he left with her.

His mind wasn't set on the girl he had just left crying in the bedroom, as coward-ish as that may seem. No, it was set of a girl full of life, energy, and equipped with a bubbly personality.

Michelle.

* * *

A/N: This is a new story I'm going to start writing, and it's going to be interesting. Long, hopefully.

Lmao.

I hope you will all enjoy it, and keep reading it and leave lots of wonderful reviews!


	2. Middle Man

_There was a mountain _

_and there were three trees _

_There was a good man _

_and there were two thieves _

The Gray family had neighbors. They had neighbors with a cute little dog, a blue station car and a beautiful garden. A garden with three trees. Two young and strong, big trees with green leafs, and a older one, not quite as big, the colors and contrast more dull.

It was the old one that was overlooked the most by people on the street, as they stopped to admire the two beautiful young trees. But no one ever really took notice in the old one. That is, except their neighbor, recently turned 19, Jason Gray.

When he first moved in, he found the tree very annoying because it would always cast a big, dark and ugly shadow in to his room. Actually, afterwards, he could kind of relate to the tree. It was placed in the middle of the larger trees. Their bigger crowns, would always shadow the middle tree. That's what it was like for him.

Always suffering on others behalf. He was usually the one standing in the shadows of his brothers, even though he worked just as much for the band as they did. When he walked down the street with his girlfriend Chloe, she cast a shadow over him too. She was so beautiful and tall. No one ever noticed Jason by her side. And like that little tree, Jason would always stand in the middle.

He was the middle man. He was the one that solved fights, and problems between his brothers, friends or just strangers. He had always been called the middle man. It was meant as a compliment, he was sure. But he didn't take it as one.

When he first moved in, a year ago, that tree was just as big and powerful as, if not more than, the other two. Over the year, it had become somewhat pathetic. It was as if it had lost some of it's pride. Now, Jason had even heard his father have a conversation with the neighbor, discussing whether they should cut it down or not.

Jason sighed. If they did, he was going to miss it. Miss waking up everyday, and see it in front of his window. Miss that he wasn't the only man in the middle. He was just going to miss it. Terribly.

* * *

''So, why are we in New York. Again?'' asked Shane confused, his mouth full of cheerios.

Jason shuddered at the insight of his brother's digestive system, before answering. ''Because, this fancy school in New York booked us for a show. And it was something about meeting Miley here, to prepare the BOBW tour, which, FYI, begins in a week.'' Jason explained. For the millionth time.

''Oh.'' Shane answered, and looked deep in thought, though Jason knew he didn't really follow.

''Go talk to Nate. He knows the details better than I do.'' he shrugged, and tried to write something for a new song. Natw had been stuck with it and asked Jason for help. He had worked with it for a week, but he couldn't really seem to finish it.

He looked up and saw that his younger brother, still hadn't moved an inch. ''Shane, can you look at this?'' he asked, and handed it to him, while he looked after Nate.

''Where is Nate, anyway?'' Jason asked, and knitted his brows together.

''He wasn't feeling good.'' mumbled Shane, his eye fixated on the paper. Jason sighed, and laid his head on the table, when he heard his mothers voice.

''Boys, we have to go now.'' Jason looked up and saw his mothers smiling face, and he couldn't help but smile back.

''Where is Nate?'' Kevin asked, while he stood up. When he saw no motion from his younger brother, he hit him on the head with his morning paper, causing Shane to spill his cheerios. Not on himself, thank god.

Shane looked up with a 'what the hell?' expression on his face, and Jason just threw his head discreetly in the direction of their mother. ''Oh, hey mom.'' Shane smiled, and stood up as well so he could give their mother a hug.

Cadence, their mother, laughed, and shook her head. ''Good morning Shanial. Nathanial is in the car, waiting. He's feeling better now. You ready?'' she asked, and looked from Shane to Jason, who both nodded and followed their mother.

* * *

''Wow.'' breathed Nate, from inside the car with the tinted windows. ''That's a school?! That's a big, big, BIG school!'' he exclaimed, most likely just a tad overwhelmed.

Jason laughed. Nate were always the one with the words, able to express exactly how he felt, and now he seemed to have completely lost it. ''I'm glad you're able to state the obvious.'' he shook his head.

''But he's right!'' then came Shane, his eyes just as big as his little brother's. ''It's a BIG school. Which kind of school is this?'' he then wondered, and pressed his face so close to the window, that if the windows weren't tinted, people on the street would have thought that Quasimodo was a real, living creature.

''Boarding school.'' Cadence then explained. ''It's a very respected school, you should be honored to play here. People from all over the world sends their kids here, so they can get the best possible education.'' she looked very serious, while she told her boys this.

''That's kinda neat.'' Jason nodded his head. ''But the green school uniforms, are definitely a down side.'' he laughed, and Nate laughed with him, at the boring dark green sweaters the girls were wearing. Shane on the other hand, quickly perked up from his Quasimodo stage, and began to frantically search for something outside his window.

''Same green uniforms.'' he mumbled, and looked around. There it was. ''Same star bucks, just on the corner.'' he continued to search. ''Nerdy girls, with facial hair.''

Jason looked over at Nate, and then his mother. They both looked about as clueless as he felt. ''Shane?'' he asked. ''You okay?''

But Shane didn't answer. He kept looking. It must have been lunch break, because suddenly students piled out from the main doors. ''There's the dude, she was hugging.'' he then mumbled.

Suddenly Nate got an alarmed look in his eyes. ''Shane, no.'' he said, like he was telling a lost puppy, not to eat from the table. ''Shane, forget her!'' he whined, and banged his head into the car seat in front of him.

''Forget who?'' Cadence asked, and looked between her sons.

''Her. The one he can't stop talking about. Michelle.'' Nick sighed, and rolled his eyes. Everyone in the car groaned, even the driver.

Shane hadn't stopped talking about her. He had kept saying that if they had just met her, they would too, be unable to get her out of their heads. Jason doubted it. Shane meets a thirteen year old girl, who politely turns him down, and all of the sudden, she's the only thing he can think about? She gave him the boost to call it quits with Amy. Not that any of them minded that. Shane had been too much of a chicken, way too long. But, it just seemed so _weird_. He guessed he had yet to meet her, before she could work his _magic_ on him.

Cadence sighed, and opened the door. ''Let's just get this show over with, shall we?'' she smiled, and walked out. Nate & Jason looked at each other and shrugged, before dragging Shane with them.

* * *

They had just finished their show, and were now just talking with some of the students. Nate had almost been kidnapped by half of the female student body, and were now trapped with them. Shane and Jason were signing stuff for people, and avoiding the random girl trying to kiss them.

Jason had noticed a tall brunette girl standing in the corner, her fingers furiously working the pushbutton keyset of her Sidekick phone. Shane soon followed Jason's gaze and then hit him on the arm. Hard.

''Ouch, Shane, what the hell?'' he asked and rubbed his arm.

''That's her! Michelle!'' he exclaimed, and was about to go talk to her, when Nate spoiled that plan.

The swarming girls were getting a little too much for him, so he decided to lead the attention else where. ''Look! It's Shane Gray!'' he shouted, and pointed to where Shane was giving him a 'what-the-hell' look. Nate just smiled apologetically, and gave him a small shrug when he saw half the girls there had before been swarming himself, now relocated to Shane.

Jason laughed, and decided to get something to drink. It wasn't before he stood at the table with the snacks, he noticed Michelle was there too. Why not figure out why she was oh-so-special?

''Hi, Jason Gray.'' he said and stuck his hand out. Michelle turned her blonde head to look at him, and was about to open her mouth to say something, but Jason beat her to it.

''Don't worry, I'm a better age judger than my brother. I'm not going to hit on you.'' he assured her, with a smile.

Michelle laughed. ''Well, that's a first.'' she said, and for the first time Jason heard her hoarse, European accented voice. ''Michelle Torres. Mitchie for short.'' the brunette smiled, and folded her long, slender fingers around his, in a handshake.

''So, I'm still trying to figure out why my little brother can't stop talking about you.'' he told her, and tilted his head to the side.

''What is your secret? You know, he _finally_ broke up with a girl who made him absolutely miserable, after meeting you.'' the boy told her.

She skeptic lifted her eyebrow. ''Really? Is that so?'' Mitchie asked. ''I wonder why.'' she then added.

''Yeah. But I just think he was amazed by the fact, you turned him down.'' at this, the girl laughed.

''Well, even though I bet he's a really great guy, too much drama is going on in my life already.'' she sighed, and suddenly looked vulnerable. Not the confident girl she came off as, at first.

''How's that?'' Jason asked, and immediately regretted it. Too personal, he thought, and mentally kicked himself. But she didn't looked offended by the question, at all.

''Well, first off there's my parents. They're getting a divorce. Surprise, surprise.'' she added sarcastically. ''They're just fighting over the custody. My mother has moved to Switzerland with her new ''_beau_'','' she grimaced, using with air quotes, ''while my father is back in Spain where he just moved in with some, 20-year old gold-digger.'' Mitchie sighed.

''And my father wants me to stay here in New York, which I'm grateful for, while my mother wants me to come to lame-ass, Switzerland to go in some school there.'' the brunette girl, looked down and tugged a strain of hair, behind her ear.

''Oh, I forgot to tell you about my grandmother in California, who raised me from I was six till I was eleven, who now wants me to move back to Cali.'' Even though she was fighting to be strong, Jason could see her helpless eyes getting a little teary.

''Wow.'' Jason breathed. He didn't know what to say to her. ''Well, I guess, at least you have your friends with you.'' he said.

''What friends? The people here? Don't get me wrong, they are very, very nice, and I never feel left out, or anything. I get invited to _every _single get-together, but I don't have a real friend, you know? The friendships I have are shallow, and we never tell each other things. And oh my gosh, I told you way too much already. I just met you for crying out loud!'' she exclaimed and buried her head in her hands.

Jason took her hands away from her face, and hugged her. She seemed surprise by the gesture at first, but seemed to accept it. He pulled back and looked at her broken face. Gosh, how self-centered he could be sometimes. He was complaining about that he didn't get enough attention. And here she was, overloaded by the attention from school, sick of the attention from home. Or the lack there off.

She raised her, now again, perfect face. ''Let's talk about you.'' she then decided. ''I'm guessing you have a girlfriend, but…'' she started off and tilted her head till the side. ''you're doubting the relationship.'' she decided.

His eyes got big. ''How could you tell?'' he asked, shocked.

She shrugged and laughed. ''I'm very good at reading people.''

He nodded, his eyes still big. ''Well, yeah, I would say.''

A smile stretched her face. ''I think you should be absolutely confident when you engage yourself in other people. You should be confident in your relationship, Jason.'' she told him, her face serious.

''Are you telling me that, I should dump Chloe?'' Jason asked, confused.

''I'm not telling you to do anything. And I don't want you be defended!'' she had to clear this with him first, before she could finish.

''No, not at all.'' he assured her. In the corner of his eyes he saw Nate mouthing something, that could look like, 'we have to go'.

''I just… if I were in a rocky relationship, which I have been too many times…'' she trailed off, ''If it was me, if I had a friend, I would want him or her to tell me when enough was enough. You know, look out for each other. But I don't know this Chloe and I don't have a friend either, so I'm probably not the greatest to advice you about this. After all, I'm no walking soap opera.'' she laughed, and gave him a small smile.

He tilted his head, and grinned at her. ''No, you're a great adviser. And, you definitely do have a friend now.'' he quickly grabbed a napkin and scribbled down his cell phone number, along with his address. ''I have to go now, but call me, anytime Mitchie!'' he shouted at her, while he ran backwards, before turning around and sprinting to his brother.

''Did you just give her your _number_?'' Nate asked his oldest brother shocked. Jason rolled his eyes. Yeah, okay, he would have been like this if he had never talked to Michelle, and it was Shane who gave her his number, but still! He didn't need to be this judgmental.

''Yeah, we're friends now.'' he shrugged, and looked for Shane. ''Where's Shane?'' he then wondered.

Nate ignored his big brothers last comment. ''Friends? _Friends_?! You do know how absurd this is, right?'' he asked, and shook his head. ''What the hell is it with this girl?'' he then wondered out loud.

Jason sighed. ''She's a little lost puppy, who needed a friend. Now, where is Shane?'' he asked, and kept looking around for him.

''I'm right here!'' Shane came running, a smile on his face and a yellow post-it in his hand. ''So, Jase, I saw you talked to Michelle. Isn't she awesome?'' he asked.

''Yeah, she is!'' he grinned. ''But I still don't get that you have any more than friendly feelings towards her.'' Jason shuddered.

''What? I don't.'' he replied indifferently. Jason searched his face for something, indicating he was lying, but found nothing. Well, that's a start. ''Anyway, I just talked to her, I apologized about being so, you know, inappropriate the last time we saw each other, but she was totally cool about it, said it didn't matter. So, I asked for her cell phone number, so we could keep in touch. And look!'' he said, and opened the little yellow piece of paper. On it, was in a beautiful handwriting neatly written 8 digits.

''Awesome.'' Jason said, as they walked out to the car. Nate could do nothing but shake his head, and follow his brothers.

* * *

_No yellow flowers, no trees in bloom_

_the scenery was so dull _

_Three crosses stood black and bold _

_against a darkened sky _

_And not from pain but a broken heart _

_that middle man died _

''So, what do you guys want to do, before going out for dinner?'' Cadence asked her sons, while she stroke Nate's curly hair. He made an annoyed sound, but decided not to protest his mothers caring.

''I'm going to call Chloe.'' Jason said hesitantly. She wasn't someone he would like to mention in front of his mom.

Cadence looked away from him. ''Uhm, oh, okay.'' she answered.

Jason sighed. His mother never liked his current girlfriend. Neither did his brothers, but they weren't quiet about it. His mom, on the other hand, tried to be supportive even though she despised her boy dating such a… no, she would never use that word. And that just made it even more unbearable to see his mother lying, about how lovely she thought she were. He gave them a small smile, before going into his hotel room and shutting the door. Jason quickly dialed the familiar number, and waited for his girlfriend to pick up. Except, she didn't. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he decided to leave her a message.

''_Hey, It's Chloe. I'm not here right now, but you can leave a message after the beep and I'll call you back. Uhm, okay, bye!'' _Jason drummed his fingers on the table, until he heard that damn beep.

''Uhm, hey Cho. It's me. Jason. Your boyfriend. I actually need to talk to you, but I'm in New York and you're not picking up. As usual. So, I'll guess I'll just have to have this very important conversation with your machine. Yay me. I guess it makes it easier.

Well, today I met this girl, and before you delete this message, no it's not what you think. She's thirteen and her name is Michelle. Well, Mitchie. Her name doesn't really matter. But she told me something. She told me that you should be completely confident in your relationship. That you shouldn't doubt your relationship. And then she told me that I shouldn't listening to her.'' Jason chuckled.

''But I chose to do so, anyway. So, here it is. Chloe, you make me feel like I'm completely worthless. You're always trying to overshadow me. Sometimes I wonder if you're only with me because I'm 'famous'. Actually, I'm starting to think my brothers were right all along. You always make me feel like the middle tree. No, the middle man. You probably have no idea what that means, but that doesn't matter.

I'm done with being the middle man. I don't… no, not anymore. I know this is a really crappy way to get it said. I'm aware of that. But you know, why make the ending anything else than what the relationship was, you know? So, I guess what I'm trying to say is--'' the machine cute him off. A rare curse slipped under his breath, as he dialed the number again.

''_Hey, It's Chloe. I'm not here right now, but you can leave a message after the beep and I'll call you back. Uhm, okay, bye!'' _

''We're over, Chloe.'' Jason finished his last message and hung up the phone.

He fell back on his bed, and let out a sigh. He closed his eyes, and didn't notice when his younger brother, who had been standing in the doorway through most of the conversation, entered the room.

''Feels good, doesn't it?'' he startled his older brother.

Jason's eyes flew open. ''Huh? Shane?'' he squinted his eyes.

Shan grinned, and threw himself down beside Jason, both of them facing the ceiling. ''To break it off. You know, when she's holding you down, and making you feel good. It's such a relief, don't you think?'' he asked, his eyes fixated on a little black spot on the white surface above him.

Jasonshrugged. ''I feel like crap.'' he confessed.

''But?'' Shane asked. He knew a but was coming.

Jason grinned. ''But, there was no other way.'' Shane nodded, agreeing with him. ''No, there really wasn't, was there?'' he asked rhetorically.

They lay there in silence for a while, until Shane spoke up again. ''Michelle?'' he then asked.

Jason laughed. ''Gave me the final kick in the butt.''

Shane laughed, and stood up. ''Yeah, me too.'' he consented. ''Come on. Don't lye here all day, and sulk. Dad & Davie is on the phone. Davie has some very important news for you.'' Shane called over his shoulder, as he walked into the main room.

Jason sighed once again, but then stood up and followed his brother. When he entered the main room, he noticed his mom with her phone in hand.

''Oh Davie, he just walked out. Okay. Yes, I'll tell Nate. And Shane. Okay, love you too honey.'' she said, and handed the phone to Jason, who took it.

''Davie, hey what's up? Getting some girls lately?'' he teased. ''Five? Wow, you better treat them right Casanova.'' Jason grinned, and saw Nate out of the corner of his eye.

''FIVE?!'' Nate mouthed, and looked absolutely in awe of his only little brother.

Jason laughed, and returned to the conversation. ''My inbox?'' he then asked confused. ''Okay, sure I'll check it out.'' he replied, still confused, but nevertheless opened his MacBook and signed into his mail.

''Yes, yes, I got your mail.'' Jasom told his little brother, while he opened it. ''Attached file?'' he then asked, and opened it. ''Yes, yes, I see it now.'' he replied softly.

There his little brother was. Standing on top of a cut down tree. His tree. The middle tree. ''Yeah, you definitely look like a superhero. Yeah. Okay. Tell Dad I said hi. Love you too Davie. See you soon.'' he said, and hung up.

Jason sat and looked at the picture. That tree, that he had related to, was now cut in to pieces. It had died. It had died along the middle man in Jason. Now he was just a man, and that was just a bunch of firewood. And Jason had never felt better in his entire life. Finally, there was no tree to cast a big and ugly shadow over him. No Chloe to do so, either. Just Jason. Just Jason and his brothers.

_And Mitchie_, he thought.


	3. Get To Know You

_I didn't come to steal your thoughts  
To analyze you, find your faults  
I didn't come to change your mind  
And turn your eyes blind_

Great. This is just freaking _great. _She's a stranger. Nate never coped well with strangers. They were so strange. He didn't need new people in his life! It was full! It was as close to perfect as possible. So why oh god why, does _she _have to come along? He _doesn't _know her. He doesn't want to know her. She's probably some gold digging attention searching whore. Okay, maybe not a whore. She's only thirteen. But still. She made Jason & Shane break up with their girlfriends, just like that! Found the faults in girl she'd never met, analyzed the relationships. And , _Mitchie _what kind of name is that? It's not even a real name. Have you ever heard anyone named Mitchie before. It's so, yuck. So cheesy, and Disney. Who comes up with that name? Seriously? Mitchie? Okay, maybe he's just overreacting a little. But _Mitchie_!

''Oh, come on. Don't sit there in the corner and sulk you face off,'' Shane said irritated. He didn't like his younger brother's attitude towards tonights event. Okay, so maybe they had planned to have a nice family dinner, just Jason, Nate, Shane & Cadence. And okay, maybe they hadn't really planned bringing their newly made friend, Mitchie, along. But, really it was all their mothers idea, so why Nate was so cross with his brothers, Shane didn't comprehend.

''I'm not sulking,'' he mumbled and crossed his arms. His mother rolled his eyes. ''What is it that's so horrible about this girl? She sounds very nice in my ears,'' Cadence shrugged, and when Jason looked out the window she leaned over and whispered something in Nate's ear, ''I mean, she got us rid off the two drama queens controlling your brothers, so that's a good thing right?''

Nate couldn't help but laugh. His mother was so cool, and very much like him. ''I know, but she's just intruding! It was supposed to be just the four of us, and now we're _five_!'' he stressed his last words, and made big eyes at his mother who looked confused. ''I think I'm missing the point'', she told him and tilted her head to the side. ''You know what they say…'' he trailed off, and looked around to get back up, but all he got was his brothers expressions matching his mothers.

''No Nate, I really don't. But please, enlighten me,'' Jason told him, and crossed his arms, before again shifting his gaze towards the window, where the city lights hit his face, casting shadows over his features.

''You know, two's a company, three's a crowd, four's perfect while five is a disaster!'' he exclaimed, and looked around in the car, but got no reaction.

''_Who _says that?'' Shane laughed. ''You totally just made that up,'' he said, and laughed again.

''Yeah, but it was worth a shot,'' he mumbled and slouched back in his seat, causing the rest of his family to laugh.

Cadence smiled at her son. She might know a way to make him feel better. ''So, hon, with your newfound people issues, you'd go in protest if I might have invited a sixth guest, right? Maybe someone like, oh I don't know, Miley Stewart?'' she asked, and a smile spread on her face when she saw her son's reaction.

Nate sat straight up in his seat, and looked at his mom. ''Wha-what? You said-- what? I mean, Miley, no, no, no, I can't, I mean, no.'' he frantically said, and his hands started to shake nervously. No way, he couldn't, not _Miley Stewart, _she was like the coolest girl he had ever met. He couldn't just have dinner with her, his family and some chick he didn't knew. Wait, he couldn't have dinner with her, period.

''You're cute when you're nervous,'' Jason added and smiled while Shane looked at him like he was a moron, (he has his moments). ''Dude, tell me you just didn't say that.''

''Nate, is going to be alright,'' his mother smiled. ''You'll se. Oh look, we're here.'' Cadence then exclaimed and got out of the car, and Jason soon followed her.

''Dude, are you all right?'' Shane asked, and looked at his younger brother somewhat concerned. Well, there was a reason too. Nate looked green & squishy, he looked like someone who had just seen a ghost and fifteen guys in thongs throwing basketball's in a hoop. Oh yes, we've all seen that movie. That was just wrong!

''It's Miley! What am I gonna say to her?'' Known fact, Nate was extremely head over heals in love with Miley Stewart, if you hadn't picked up on that one yet.

''Come one, you're gonna be fine,'' Shane dragged Nate out of the car, and gave the car keys to a valet guy, who was wearing a highly unflattering lime green shirt, with a red emblem. Yuck.

''You think?'' Nate asked, and looked at his older brother. Shane wasn't really the one you would normally go to for comfort or a good advice.

''Sure,'' he shrugged, ''and besides you have to be, 'cause I told her you would wait outside the restaurant for her. Bohoo,'' he laughed and ran inside. And suddenly, Nate remembered all the reasons to as why you _don't _go to Shane for comfort or advice.

Nate let out an annoyed sigh, and kicked to a rock. Well, what else what he supposed to do?

''Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap,'' he heard a voice behind him, which made him turn around to see a brunette girl standing a couple of feet away from him. ''This is just not happening!'' At first he thought it was Miley, but with a closer look he realized it wasn't. He looked around to see if there were anyone nearby, but the only one he could spot was that valet guy from earlier. Cautiously, he took a step closer to the girl, ''Are you okay?'' he asked softly, as trying no to startle her.

She was currently trying to reach her back, causing her to look like a dog chasing it's own tale. Not the most flattering sight, but somehow he didn't feel like laughing. ''What?'' she asked and looked up, though the darkness of the night illuminated her face.

''I asked if you were alright?'' he tried again, and cast a glance behind him to see if there were any signs of Miley so far. There weren't.. She laughed uncomfortable, and nodded her head yes. ''No, I'm fine,'' she said, and turned her back to Nate, still trying to reach her back. Now he could see her problem. Across her back was a large tear in her dress, and he couldn't help but let out a small laugh, that he tried to cover up with a cough, but failing miserably.

''Excuse me?'' she snapped, and turned to Nate, looking irritated.

He shut up, and opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before finding his voice. ''I just, erh, you don't uhm look okay, I mean your dress, and… yeah,'' he said an scratched his back nervously, afraid that she would snap at him again.

Her face fell. ''It's that bad?'' she asked, sounding completely hopeless.

He cringed slightly, ''Yeah, I'm afraid.''

''Oh crap, crap, crap, crap! This sucks! I can't go in there looking like this, now can I?' she asked, her eyes big clearly expecting an answer. Nate uncomfortable cleared his throat, and looked over his shoulder again to check on the Miley situation, while pondering on what to answer.

''Well, uhm, I don't know. That depends on what kind of company you're meeting, I guess,'' he shrugged, and scratched his neck again. A nervous habit of his, that the girl had quickly caught up on.

She sighed. ''I was going in there to meet some guys I recently met, I mean, I don't even know them. They just called me up today and were like, 'come have dinner with us' and what's a girl to do? I mean, my roommate screamed yes before I could even get a word in! Anyway, now here I am, and I so can't go in there. I don't think I could if my dress wasn't ripped, though. I know you might not believe it right now, pouring my heart out, but I'm really a shy girl!'' She cried and laughed at the same time, before quickly narrowed her eyes. ''And why have you not run for your life yet?'' she asked, which made him laugh.

''I'm sorry,'' he told her with a smile, ''I'm just happy that someone has the ability to ramble as much as I tend to,''

She looked at him with an odd expression on her face. ''Well, I'm glad that you find my misery amusing!'' she snapped, and tried to get a cab drivers attention. She had clearly decided to make a run for it.

He laughed. ''Here, take my jacket,'' he instructed, and handed it over to him. She looked at him surprised. ''Wha-What? I don't know you! I can't take your jacket!'' she exclaimed, and looked down. ''Freak,'' she muttered under her breath, which made him laugh. Again. Really, he was not a laughing person. He did not know where this came from.

''Oh, but I think you do,'' Nate told her, and glanced back. No Miley yet. ''Mitchie, right?'' he asked her and, before she could protest, he put his jacket over his shoulders. She looked even more surprised, and when he thought about it, kind of petrified too.

''How'd you know?'' she asked, wide-eyed.

He smiled. His brothers were right. She was simply adorable. ''I'm Nate. Nate Gray.''

Mitchie scrunched up her eyebrows, and tilted her head slightly to the side, and Nate found himself mimicking her actions. Before he knew it, her fragile hands were placed on his shoulders and he was pushed into the light of the streetlamp. ''Oh my god, you are!'' she exclaimed, and looked horrified, before hiding her head in her hands. ''Well, this isn't embarrassing at all,'' he heard her mutter under her breath.

''Don't be embarrassed,'' he laughed. ''Or maybe you should be. I have heard a lot about you from my brothers.'' he told her seriously.

She lifted an eyebrow, ''Oh really? So do I live up to my reputation?'' she asked and smiled.

''Not really,'' he told her with a laugh, which made her look at him weirdly. ''You haven't told me anything that will make me want to screw up any potential relationship.'' At this, she laughed.

''Oh well, I'm sorry. And really embarrassed.'' she told him, and shivered slightly.

''Don't be. I'm just the handsome stranger you decided to lay all your problems on. The fact that I wasn't such a stranger after all,'' he made a pfft-sound, and waved his hand. ''What are the odds?'' he added in joking manner.

She laughed, and mimicked him, only changing the sentence a little, ''The fact that he wasn't that handsome after all. Who would have thought?''

''Are you mocking me?'' he gasped dramatically, and she waved him off, before spotting something behind his back. ''Ooh, I see a girlfriend coming this way,'' she said, and took a step in the direction of the restaurant entrance.

Nate quickly wipped around, and saw Miley coming his way with a big smile on her face. He quickly turned to Mitchie with a confused look on his face. ''Yeah, the way you constantly looked back, and her big smile. It's a dead giveaway.''

''Miley's not my girlfriend!'' he protested, which made Mitchie grin.

''Oh I know. But the fact that it took you this long to deny it, also tells me that you want her to be,'' she laughed, which he didn't really know how to respond. Damn, she was good.

''Well, I guess I better get in. Too late to make a run for it now, huh?'' she asked, which made him laugh.

''Maybe a little,'' he agreed.

She sighed, ''Yeah I thought so,'' and then she put on a big smile, when she saw the newcommer standing next to Nate, ''Hi Miley, great to meet you,'' she exclaimed and stuck her hand out, which the other girl gratefully shook, ''Nate's told me all about you, I feel like I already know you,'' she winked at Nate, and laughed. ''See you inside!'' she said, and ran inside.

Miley looked at Nate, and laughed, ''told her all about me, huh?'' she asked, with a cheeky grin, but if you looked closely you could see a blush creeping up.

Nate looked astonish after Mitchie, because of what she just said, before turning to Miley with a sheepish grin, ''Well, you know, not _everything_,''

''Sure, sure,'' she laughed, and nudged him. ''Shall we?'' Miley asked, and bended her arm, for him to take.

''We shall,'' he laughed, and wrapped his arm around her waist, guiding her towards, making the otherwise so confident girl blush furiously.

''So, who was she?'' Miley asked curiously, on their way into the restaurant.

''She's a friend of Shane's. ''

''Oh,'' Miley said disappointed. ''One of them.''

''No, no. Mitchie's different. She's something else,'' he added in an afterthought. It was well-known that Shane was a flirt, and didn't have one girl for long. But since Mitchie wasn't exactly his girl, she couldn't really be put in that category.

''Really?'' Miley's face lighted up, as she handed her coat to one of the waiters, revealing a mid-thigh purple cocktail dress, flowing freely around her legs, hugging her small curves. ''She's gonna be around for awhile?'' she asked.

''Yeah, I guess,'' he shrugged. He hadn't really thought that far out. After all, he had only just met the girl. Maybe they would never see her again after this night, maybe she would tag along on their 'life journey' as Cadence would describe it. Who knew?

''Awesome. I have a feeling we're going to be the best of friends,'' Miley laughed, as the waiter escorted them to their table.

* * *

_Stranger, I just came to get to know you  
Just to sit next to you for a bit  
Stranger, I just came to get to know you  
Wouldn't it be a shame if I never did?_

Last night had been fine. Good. Great. No sarcasm intended. Nate had been pleasantly surprised about Mitchie. She was funny, and seemed to fit in good with his brothers. Her & Miley seemed to hit it off perfectly. They were like instant friends. Girls are strange that way. But, they probably needed each other. To go shopping or whatever. Anyway, today was the rehearsal and meeting with Miley, and then they were basically off. Off on tour. Not headlining, but still. _Tour_. He liked the sound of that. Spend the day with his best friends, family and… Mitchie. He supposed he could call himself her friend, but best friend was definitely a too big of a step. Well, he thought so. But it seemed that Jason, Shane and Miley saw differently on that matter. They had practically had a catfight over who was going to get to invite Mitchie along to the meeting today, a catfight which Miley successfully won. His brothers, beaten by a girl. He was never going to let them forget that.

''Nate, are you ready?'' Cadence yelled from the bathroom, as he was currently sitting on the bed watching some TV. ''We're going to be late!'' He had to roll his eyes. Why did his brothers get separate rooms and he had to share with his _mother_? Granted, they had the biggest suite he had ever before stepped food in, but still. He could do smaller, if only he could get a little more privacy.

''Yeah mom, I'm ready,'' he told her, and was about to add another sentence, ''and if we're late it's your fault, since I've been ready the last 30 minutes,'' but decided not to, in order to keep peace. He turned the TV off, and got off the bed. He wasn't watching anything of importance anyway.

''Great,'' his mother stepped out of the bathroom with a smile. ''How do I look?'' she asked and twirled around.

Nate nodded, ''Great mom, let's go,'' he said, and kissed her cheek, before opening the door. ''By the way, did you ever figure out what the deal was with Mitchie? Because I didn't really get to hear much over the yells of, 'No, she's my guest, no my guest, no mine!'' he asked his mother, whom was laughing.

''I think it ended up with that Michelle was coming around Miley's hotel around 3, due to some thing at the school, and that your brothers had to settle on just coming around as well. Not that they were happy about it though,'' they both laughed at the thought. ''You should tag along as well,'' Cadence suggested, a mysterious smile playing on her lips, which of some reason made Nate blush slightly.

He shrugged, and walked into the elevator. ''Yeah, you know, I probably will,'' his blush still increasing.

''And this has nothing to do with that it's at Miley's, right?'' Cadence asked, with a smile that was not wearing off in the near future.

''Mom!'' Nate whined and hit his face in his hands, while his mother just laughed and pushed the button indicating the Ground Level.

* * *

''I thought you'd never come! Not that I would have minded, but you know. You could at least call me or something, that would be the polite thing to do. But look at that, here you are!'' Miley greeted the three brothers at her hotel room, and a laughter, courtesy of Mitchie, could be heard from the back. Nate shook his head, and walked in his brothers following behind him.

''Hey Mitchie,'' he greeted when he saw her sitting on one of the two double beds in the suite, and plopped down on the other. ''Hey guys, '' Mitchie greeted brightly as Miley plopped down beside her, where it was obvious she had been before they cam as well, due to the number of different girls magazines and half eaten chocolate bars.

''Hi Mitch, what's up?'' Shane greeted her, his hands behind his back, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. An unsure smile stretched across her face, as he came closer to her. ''Shane, whatcha got behind your back?'' she asked, and began to slightly back away from him. ''Nothing, nothing…'' he trailed off, ''besides a big, ugly, hairy spider!'' he exclaimed and threw something down her back, which made her jump off the bed, and start screaming and jumping around, causing everyone in the room to break into a fit of laughter, unless Mitchie & Shane.

''Oh will you relax woman, it's just a fake,'' he dismissed it and situated himself in one of the big comfy armchairs across Miley & Mitchie.

Mitchie's eyes were on fire. She was boiling with rage. Furious. Well, she looked it, that's for sure.

''Oh boy, someone's in trouble,'' Nate taunted, earining a high five from Miley who couldn't stop giggling.

Mitchie took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, like she was meditating. She was probably just trying to collect her thoughts, and her rage. ''In the little time you have known me, one of the many things you have learned about me is my undying fear of spiders. Don't you EVER do that again, you hear me _Shanial_?'' she stressed his name, and plopped down beside Miley again, and they did a super cool handshake thing, who was normally used by super dorky science geeks.

''Oh my god!'' Jason exclaimed in a real Joey Tribbiani manner. ''They already have a super cool handshake thing! It's not fair!'' he exclaimed. ''You stole our time with Mitchie, Miley! Cheater!''

''I did not!'' she protested, and crossed her arms.

''You did too!'' Shane joined.

''I did not!!'' Miley exclaimed and got up, when her phone ringed in the other room of the suite.

Shane gasped. ''She did!!'' he told Jason, and followed the younger girl. ''You did too!!'' Jason taunted, as he got up and followed the two.

Mitchie smiled after them, and then fidgeted with her hand. ''You know, I'm sorry,'' she told and looked up, and over to Nate who looked mildly surprised at her approach.

''Huh?'' he asked, and sat up properly, a lead which she followed.

''I know I'm intruding,'' she explained and looked at her hands again, ''and I'm really sorry. I would feel very weird about some random girl just kind of taking over, hell, I feel weird about it, but it's just everyone's been so nice, but I totally understand if you don't want me around anymore, I would totally understand and--'' she rambled until Nate stopped her with a smile.

''You're doing it again,'' he told her, and she looked up confused. ''Doing what?'' she asked curiously.

''Rambling,'' he chuckled, as a look of realization dawned on her face. ''Oh.'' she told him, with an apologetic smile. ''Sorry,'' she murmured and looked down again.

''It's okay,'' he told her, ''like I said, it's a thing we have in common,''

Mitchie smiled and nodded, ''Yeah I guess. But what I was trying to say was, that I really want to get the chance to know these wonderful people I've been so blessed to meet, and I would really get the chance to get to know you. So what do you say? Friends?'' she asked cautiously, still not looking up, as she was afraid of rejection, but to her surprise he agreed.

''Friends,'' he nodded as the rest came into the room again.

''I demand 3 hours a day!'' Jason exclaimed, and Miley rolled her eyes. ''Jase, that's so unreasonable! She has school and stuff like that, remember? I take 3 hours and you take 2!'' she told them, as she just figures out the cure for cancer.

Shane shook his head, ''But, why do you get to have 3?'' he asked, confused.

Miley gave him a 'hello?'-look. ''We can't both have her 3 hours, and it just made most sense this way!'' she exclaimed.

''But Shane discovered her!'' Jason told her. ''Yeah, HAH!'' Shane agrred, and looked selfsatisfied.

''_Discovered _her? Are you freaking kidding me? This isn't American Idol or some shit like that! Come on!''

''Uhm, guys?'' Mitchie said, which made them all turn around and look at her. ''Don't I get a say in this?''

''No?!'' All three of them answered like she was a complete moron.

''Guys, guys, guys!'' Nate said and stood up. ''This is a stupid argument!'' he told them, ''You can't decided who's going to have her, how many hours of the day!'' he told them seriously, and they all hung their head.

''Well said Nate,'' Mitchie laughed, and looked at him gratefully.

''Because, obviously, I get her in 3 hours!'' he told them and cracked a smile. Mitchie gasped, Shane & Jason laughed, while Miley threw a pillow at him. As they settled down again, Mitchie wrinkled her nose.

''Eww, Shane, you feet stink!'' she exclaimed, ''Get them away from me!'' she told him, and got up but his feet didn't move one inch.

''Oh yeah, you'd like that huh?'' he asked, playing all tough Miami Vice. Dude, he sucked. He couldn't scare a five year old if he tried to.

''Uhm, yeah cos they stink!'' she laughed, and opened one of the many pill glass in her bag, and poured out three of the little white pills out in her hand.

''Headache?'' Miley asked over her shoulder, a concerned look crossing her face. Mitchie shrugged and nodded at the same time. ''Something like that,'' she told them and went into the bathroom to sawllow the pills with a glass of water, though she could still hear her friends.

''Dude, your feet gave a headache!''

''Shut up, banana skin,''

''Seriously, get those stink bombs away from me!''

_Stranger, I just came to get to know you  
Wouldn't it be a shame if I no one ever did?_

_

* * *

_

_a/n: song of the moment, and the chapter is 'get to know you' by tina dickow. _

_she's always my major writing inspiration, everything she does i admire. _

_you should really go stalk her on youtube (: _

_please review, and i'll kiss your feet!  
(unless they are smelly, that is.)_

_- cee (:  
_


	4. I Can Be Happy Too

_disclaimer: i own nothing but the storyline._

_

* * *

  
_

_Of course I can be cheerful too  
I'll do it if it pleases you  
I'll chase away the chilling rain  
And soothe you when you're feeling pain  
I'll titillate your aching brain  
If that's what pleases you_

Bubbly. That's a way to describe her. The way many described her. Happy. Cheerful. Merry. That's just the way people see her, always wearing such a big smile, it sometimes even looks painful, on her face. And she liked to be seen that way. She didn't want to be any one's pity cause. That's why, when her dad offered her, to be enrolled in one of the worlds finest boarding school, she didn't hesitate once. Once upon a time, she used to live with her parents. They were happy. But suddenly everything changed. It was like in the blink of an eye, she found herself sitting on an airplane every weekend, going back and forth between Spain and Switzerland. They said they just needed some time without the other, so if that meant that Mitchie had to go from country to country, then be it. Luckily, her grandmother put an end to that. She took Mitchie to California. She really liked it there. She loved the sun. Her grandmother was the best. Well, to her at least. Let's just say that Grandma Marie Torres was not someone to mess with, something that the dozens of her maids, cooks, gardener & butler soon had realized.

But then, after spending a year in the sunny state, she was diagnosed. It as a shock to everyone. Mitchie didn't know what to think about it. All she asked for was one thing. She wanted to be as normal as humanly possible. That didn't last long though. Everyone treated her like she was a fragile little doll, made out of porcelain. But she didn't want to be treated differently. She wanted to live life as everyone else. So she took the big move to New York, to start over. She vowed to herself that she wasn't going to tell a soul about her condition and she hadn't. Nobody treated her any differently than the next girl. She soon realized that it made people happy when she was happy. Even her mother & father could have a decent conversation if Mitchie was next to them, smiling. It made them happy, it made them forget about the hatred they felt toward each other for awhile. She liked making people happy, she liked making people laugh. She'd seen so many broken faces, so many faded smiles. She didn't want that anymore. She preferred bubbly.

That's why when her history teacher asked if something was wrong, she put on a smile and shook her head. ''No, I'm fine. Just a little headache,'' she told her, praying that Ms. Walker would let her off the hook. The young teacher nodded her head unsure, as Mitchie offered her a small smile, and hurried out of the class room, and into the crowded hallway.

''Yo, M, what up?'' a guy named Brandon as he passed her.

''Sup, B?'' she asked over her shoulder and laughed softly, as she swung the mulberry bag, her father had given the year before for Christmas, over her shoulder.

''Oh, Mo!'' a familiar voice exclaimed, causing Micthie to turn around as a girl nearly kicked her over.

''Ella,'' she laughed and kissed her, nearly 3 years older, friend's cheek.

''Who's that guy checking you out?'' Ella asked, and looked over her shoulder, making Mitchie look to the side. There was no guy, the only thing that met her sight was a guy, possibly named Christopher (she couldn't remember), sucking some girls face off up against the wall. Charming.

''Who?'' she asked confused, and was replied with a shrug from Ella.

''Never mind. Anyway it's Friday! Schools over! Well, for this week. Anyway, I was thinking party downtown tonight? It's Nathan Wright's seventeenth birthday, and I know how you feel about him, and trust me, I so agree, but I just feel like partying tonight.'' she shrugged, and waited for Mitchie to reply.

''Uhm, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow?'' she asked cautiously, but relaxed when she saw Ella playfully roll her eyes.

''Fine, but you have to promise! You know how Caity gets,'' she talked so fast that Mitchie nearly couldn't follow. ''And seriously, if you're not going to make a move on that guy over there, give him my number!'' Ella laughed before running down the now fairly empty hallway, probably in an attempt to catch up with the friends whom she had abandoned when talking to Mitchie.

The brunette laughed and shook her head as she turned around, her eyes doubling in size in the process. ''Nate?'' she asked surprised, but nonetheless very happy for some reason.

''Hey Mitch,'' he greeted happily, as she approached him.

''Sorry 'bout that,'' she told him and rolled her eyes in the direction Ella had just disappeared, ''If I had known it was you she went on about, I would have stopped her,'' she laughed but it was cut short with a sigh.

''Rough day?'', he asked concerned and followed her out of the doors, leading to the secluded, now almost empty, school yard.

Mitchie rolled her eyes again. ''There's this guy in my history class, who is such a know-it-all, and he thinks the entire class is just a dialogue between him and the teacher. He doesn't even raise his hand, he just answers! It's so annoying!'' she ranted, and was cut off by Nate's laugh.

''But, you weren't going to answer any of the questions anyway, were you?'' he asked knowingly.

Mitchie made a 'hmpf' sound. ''Yeah, but still,'' she crossed her arms causing Nate to laugh again.

''What are you doing here?'' she asked with, for the first time that day, a genuine smile on her face.

The smile was wiped off his face, and a serious mask took it's place ''I need a girls advice,'' he told her ''and, I mean, this is what friends do, right?'' he then added unsure.

''It definitely is,'' Mitchie laughed, and patted the seat next to her on the bench she had situated herself on. ''But, do you mind if I ask, why didn't you go to Miley? Not that I don't want to help or anything, just curios.'' she added in an afterthought, thinking it might come off unfriendly. Luckily, he didn't seem to think so.

Nate laughed awkwardly as he sat down beside Mitchie. ''Yeah, I probably would, if it wasn't advice about Miley,'' he mumbled and looked down, and Mitchie was almost positive she saw a faint blush creep to his cheek.

''Oh, I see,'' She had to admit, she smirked. ''Girl trouble, huh?'' she laughed as Nate mumbled something incoherently.

''Well, I definitely think you should go for it. Ask her out. That was what you were going to ask me about, right? If I know if she likes you? It's obvious. Seriously. Go for it.'' she shrugged with a smile.

''You think?'' Nate asked. He was clearly surprised that she could answer all his unvoiced questions just like that.

''Yeah, definitely. She'll be thrilled,'' Mitchie told him confidently as she stood up. She could feel that she needed to cut this meeting short, as she could feel the familiar throbbing headache sneaking up on her.

''Okay. If you say so,'' he smiled, and stood up equally. Mitchie smiled, slightly, and shrugged before shuffling her feet. Awkward.

''Hey,'' he tilted her chin up with his fingers, ''thanks,'' he told her sincerely and a wide smile broke out on her face.

''Anytime,'' she muttered, and she had to admit that she was slightly surprised when Nate engulfed her in a tight hug. However, she was a little reluctant when he pulled back again.

''Are we seeing you at the concert tomorrow night?'' Nate then asked, probably just being polite, Mitchie concluded.

''Really?'' she asked with a big smile, ''I'd love too!'' she exclaimed. That might not really fit into Ella & Caitlyn's plans but she'd just have to work that out.

''Of course,'' he exclaimed, surprised that she could think otherwise. ''But now I really got to go. See you later tonight?'' he asked, guessing that one of his brothers had already invited her over.

''We'll see,'' she replied cheekily, and waved at him as he slowly retreated backwards and out of the school yard. Mitchie stood and saw where his figure had disappeared, when she felt a hand on her fragile shoulder, scaring the living daylights out of her.

''Jesus, Grandma! Don't do that again!'' she exclaimed at the elderly woman, who had flown over to visit her granddaughter just a day before. Marie Torres just waved her off, and looked in the same direction Mitchie had moments before.

''He seems like a nice boy,'' she commented, trying to force a smile on her face, but Mitchie saw right through it.

Deciding not to ask her grandmother why she had been spying on her, Mitchie just sighed defeated. ''I know, I know, I won't let him too close, okay?'' she snapped irritated, but instantly regretted it. Marie was after all just trying to protect Mitchie, and she knew it. But sometimes she just didn't feel like being the brave girl, sometimes she just felt like saying 'screw it' and curl up in a ball on the bathroom floor, crying and screaming about how unfair life seemed to be for her. She didn't feel like building a wall around her, though she knew it would benefit her when it was her time to kick the bucket, as someone might would put it.

''Are you ready to go to the hospital? To your check-up?'' Marie Torres asked her sick granddaughter gently, as to not startle her again.

''Yeah. Thanks for coming all this way for the check-up. It means a lot,'' Mitchie told her grandmother sincerely.

''No problem sweetie, I've come to quite enjoy it.''

Mitchie forced a fake smile on her face. This was the one thing she could never really learn to enjoy.

* * *

_Of course I can be merry too,  
I'll do it if it pleases you  
I'll turn the darkness into light  
And bring a brightness in your night  
I'll tell you it will be alright  
If that's what pleases you_

That night, Mitchie didn't really feel up for being alone. She always felt like that after a visit at the hospital, so she took Nate up on his offer. Well, earlier she had planned on calling and asking Miley was she was up too, but the other girl beat her too it.

She had just come home from the doctor feeling… down. There really was no other way to describe the feelings that were going through her head. She just… life's unfair, you know? Like really, oh-my-god-why-did-ally-have-to-get-amnesia-that's-so-sad-for-noah, unfair. Yep, you do know. She was about to lock herself into her dorm, when her phone rung. Sighing aggravated, Mitchie answered the phone without even looking at it, ''Two seconds, my lock is stuck,'' she spoke into the phone and put her key into the lock for the third time. A smile actually stretched it's way on her face when she turned the door knob, and the door slid open. Mitchie admired the open door for a minute and she almost forgot about the phone in her hand, until she heard a loud cough on the other end. She took a quick at the caller ID, and smiled when she saw the name of an newly added contact.

_Smiley_

Smiling, Mitchie put the phone to her ear. ''Smiley, what up?'' she asked with eased as she threw herself on her bed, taking a brief moment to wonder about why her roommate, Margaret, never seemed to be home. Shrugging it off, she turned her attention to the little black object in her left hand.

''Bitchie, shut up,'' she heard a laugh on the other end, causing Mitchie to gasp dramatically, but soon joined her friend in the laughter.

''What? It rhymed!'' Miley exclaimed in her defense, causing Mitchie to laugh once again as she turned on her side and looked out of the window. She had a view over a small park, where her school friend liked to hang out. Some of them got stoned, while their parents thought they were in study groups and filling out college applications. Like they gave a damn about the future. They took it all for granted. She really wanted to hate those people, but she couldn't. Because she so desperately wanted to be them.

''Yeah, why did you call?'' Mitchie asked, not meaning to come off as rude.

''Huh?'' Miley asked confused, as she had forgotten it. But then it was as if something set off inside of her, and she became extremely excited. Scaringly excited, actually. She was clearly unable to contain her happiness. Miley _actually _squealed. Mitchie had never taken her for a squealing kind of person, and winced slightly. The loud sounds were giving her a headache. But, then again everything did these days.

''OH! That's right! Eeep! Nateeepaskedeepmeeepout, EEP!'' Miley exclaimed, followed by a chorus of yay's and rustling with the phone, giving Mitchie the impression that she was probably happy dancing. Why, she wasn't really sure of. She turned her gaze to the ceiling, and listened dumbfounded to Miley's squeals, until the other girl finally stopped, probably cause by lack of respond from Mitchie.

''Why aren't you jumping up and down, screaming at the top of your lungs?'' Miley snapped, causing Mitchie to laugh loudly. She lay on her side again, focusing on a bird sitting on a branch outside her window.

''I don't really know what it is that we're celebrating,'' Mitchie confessed followed by a silence from Miley.

''Oh,'' the curly haired girls said, as realization hit her. But she then perked up again. ''Well, then you're forgiven!'' she exclaimed, and went on about something indifferently, and Mitchie couldn't help but laugh at her friend. Miley was so fun. Fearless. Something that Mitchie might never be, she sighed as she realized that. She might never have time to grow out of her awkward phase.

''But seriously, what are we celebrating?'' Mitchie asked curiously, not yet been able to figure it out.

''Oh, nothing of great importance, really,'' Mitchie could hear that Miley tried to shrug off, like it was no big deal. She could also hear that it indeed was a _very_ big deal. ''Just that, you know, Nate asked me out tonight…'' Miley trailed off.

Mitchie actually had to conceal a squeal herself, but quickly covered it up. ''Well, that's cool,'' Mitchie shrugged, and actually found herself studying her nails. Man, was she good at playing the indifference card.

There was an awkward silence before Miley couldn't take it any longer, ''Okay, I can't take this. I'm SO excited!'' she squealed, and Mitchie soon joined her.

That was a conversation Mitchie had, had a couple of hours ago. Now she was sitting in Miley's hotel room with Shane & Jason, they were currently writing a song. Well, trying too at least. Mitchie looked around in Miley's hotel room, finding the fact that the three of them hanging out in Miley's hotel room slightly odd. Actually, she never really understood why Miley were living in a hotel, or how she knew the guys. And then there was this strange man with a mustache, looking somewhat familiar, walking in and out of the room every 6th minute. It was confusing her really, but she didn't put too much into it. That's why, when she asked the two boys how this all added up, and got the answer… well, to say she was shocked would be the underestimation of the century.

''HANNAH MONTANA?!'' Mitchie screeched, and stood up, completely loss for words.

Shane nodded understandingly, and stood up to support Mitchie's shaking body. She was quite positive that she couldn't stand up, let alone walk straight at that moment without Shane's support.

''Yeah, just let it out.'' Jason told her, giving her an encouraging smile in the process, before turning to his guitar again.

''Bu-but… how? Why-why-why hasn't she told me?'' Mitchie stuttered and looked helplessly at Shane, who simply nodded his head in a perfect shrink manner, before sitting her down on the opposite bed of the one Jason was currently seated on.

''Can you sit here by yourself?'' Shane asked with a concerned expression on his face, genuinely worried. He remembered when he first found out about the Hannah secret. He nearly died. The worst part was that he couldn't tell anyone about it, it was extremely hush-hush. Though, somehow that rule didn't really seem to fit Mitchie.

The brunette girl couldn't do anything but nod meekly. She sat there staring out in space for a couple of minutes while Shane & Jason worked on the song, though not without casting worried glances at their female friend every once in a while.

''Turn this park into a club, the stars are light… and I'm stuck!'' Jason exclaimed aggravated as he ran his hands through his already messy hair.

Suddenly Mitchie began to giggle heartily, causing both of the brothers to turn their attention to her. ''You guys do realize that you're first concert is tomorrow, and you haven't even finished your opening song yet, right?'' she asked, and giggled again.

''I'm sorry,'' she said in the middle of a fits of giggles, ''I don't know why I find this so funny,''

''Well.. I guess we simply… write best under pressure?'' Shane tried, unsure. To be honest he was a little frightened by Mitchie's reaction to the whole Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana thing. Fainting is so the normal way to react. (Not that he did, of course. And if he did, it wasn't fainting. It was more like, passing out. Though he didn't. But if he had, it would definitely have been a pass out)

''I'm sorry,'' she told them again, a little calmed down. ''I'll just sit here & look pretty, not saying a word,'' she told them completely serious.

''Well, then you have a lot of hard work in front of you, won't ya?'' Jason snickered playfully, and turned back to his guitar, making another giggle escape from Mitchie's throat.

''Turn this park into a club, the stars are light and oh my god, why is this so hard to write?'' Jason asked again, focusing back on the song.

''I know!'' Shane agreed heatedly, making his nostrils double in size. ''Why did Nate & Miley just abandon us? We could really use their input!'' he sighed, and turned over in the bed burying his head in a pillow.

Mitchie smiled from ear to ear. ''Because, you could use some Hannah Montana-input, right?'' she asked lifting her eyebrows up and down, ''am I right or am I right?''

''Dude, she's acting stranger than you did, when you was let in on the secret,'' Jason told Shane, looking worriedly at Mitchie. Shane was the first of the brothers to know about the Hannah-secret, and ironically enough Nate was the last one. But, Shane wasn't actually told about it. He more like figured it out, by a very awkward dressing room incident. Let's just say there were swinging chandeliers and cake covered faces involved. The point is, he had to swear not to tell anyone, because Miley wanted to do so herself. And he had kept his promise. That is, until know. But Miley wouldn't mind them telling Mitchie, would she? No, he concluded, she wouldn't. Right?

''Oh, shut up,'' Mitchie got up from the bed, and whacked Jason on the head with a pillow. ''They are on their first date! It's a big deal!'' she told them, as she threw herself down beside Shane, though turning the other way, head in her hands, focusing on Jason.

''But, it's no fun!'' Jason whined, setting down his guitar in defeat. Mitchie rolled her eyes.

''Come on, don't be baby! Let me see what you've written so far,'' she snatched the paper from Shane's grasp and looked it over.

''Turn this park into a party, the stars are light, everybody is waiting for us?'' she asked, and made a cringe at Shane who just widened his eyes, as to show his hopeless state of mind.

''Exactly!'' Jason exclaimed. ''That's what I've been saying all along!''

Mitchie sighed as she stood up again, and began pacing. What could she do to help? The first concert was tomorrow, and this was the song that would tie the two acts together. That's when she got an idea…

''I know what we do!'' Mitchie exclaimed, suddenly very excited. ''What?'' Shane asked slightly intrigued and sat up on his elbows.

''Well, it's a party song right? So, what better way to get in the party mood, than to throw a party?'' she asked with a cheeky smile, as she waited for an answer. To her disappointment though, a look of horror and surprise crossed the brothers' faces.

''WHAT?'' They then asked, demanding a explanation. Instead of giving them one though, she just nodded her head and smiled.

''So glad we agree, anyway, since it's like,'' she quickly checked her wrist but then remembered that she never in her life had worn a watch. Maybe she should do so. That would be practical in times like these, right?

''… insanely late!'' Shane exclaimed. ''Plus, Miley & Nate are gonna come home soon, and Miley is gonna be really beat, and probably wanting to go to bed, and if you haven't forgotten we're in her hotel room, so, no we're NOT throwing a party!'' he sighed, and Mitchie almost took a double back. Who knew so much reason could leave those lips of him. To be quite honest, he looked a little surprised himself, while Jason didn't seem to have noticed.

Mitchie sighed and took her coat off the rack, but she didn't give up though, ''Which is why I'm gonna go down to the star bucks down the corner, so we can get high on caffeine and never fall asleep again!'' She laughed, on her way out of the door, when she saw Shane's defeated face.

Take that one Gray.

* * *

''Okay, and the last one will be…'' Mitchie squinted her eyes, as she tried to read the letters she had scribbled down on her hand in the passing. Of course Shane had called her 30 seconds after she had left to tell her what he would have, Mitchie recalled with an eye-roll. The problem was that it was something very complicated she had never actually heard of, and had no idea how to pronounce.

''a venti double shot half caf iced with extra ice soy cinnamon dolce latte with sugar free syrup and room for cream,'' she told the lady behind the counter and took in a deep breath. Thank god, she had already ordered for everyone else.

''Who's that one for?'' the lady asked, as she suppressed a laugh. And Mitchie was sure that if there in fact had been other customers in the shop, they would have looked at her greatly surprised. To her luck, she was the only one in there.

She rolled her eyes. ''You wouldn't believe me anyway,'' Mitchie shrugged, as she waited for her beverages.

''For Shane, I presume?'' a voice behind her asked, startling her. She gave a little jump and let out a small yelp in surprise, before quickly spinning around.

''Nate! You scared me to death!'' Mitchie exclaimed, the blood pulsating fast through her veins. She breathed heavily as she tried to get her heart back to a normal pace, when a faint head ache alarmed it's presence.

''Hi,'' he smiled, and greeted her with a hug, taking Mitchie by surprise the second time that day. It wasn't that she minded him being so open to her, but it was just new. She was used to it from Shane, Jason and Miley (or should she say Hannah now? That's was just too weird) but with Nate… it was something different. Good different, she thought with a smile.

''What are you doing here? Where's Miley?'' Mitchie asked when she pulled away again, quickly checking over her shoulder to see if her orders were ready. They weren't. The barista was abnormally slow, considering she was the only customer. If that lazy woman could just hurry up, so Mitchie soon could take her medication. Her head ache was slowly getting stronger.

''We figured that the guys probably weren't finished with the songs, so we decided that she went to check on them, while I got coffee if it turned into an all-nighter. Looks like you beat me to it,'' he grinned, automatically making a smile form on Mitchie's smile as well, in spite of the still growing ache in the back of her head.

''Always one step ahead of you, Gray,'' Mitchie replied cheekily. In the same moment, she noticed that the coffees were ready. As she closed her fragile hand around the hot container, she felt a strange sensation shoot through her arm and hand, causing her to gasp loudly and drop the white plastic cup right there, luckily without spilling on herself too greatly.

''Mitchie are you okay?'' Nate rushed to her, concerned as he took a hold of her arm, making her wince, causing him to drop it instantly. Before she did anything else, Mitchie took a moment to curse the fact that Nate had been there to witness one of the visible symptoms of her illness. Shaking the thought out of her head, she winced in pain, but quickly covered it up with a forced smile.

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' she replied through her teeth. ''Why don't you just go ahead with the other drinks, I'll just order a new one,'' she replied, and looked up at him with hopeful eyes. She needed to take her medication right now, or she might start seizing. Actually, what she really needed was to go to the emergency room, but they couldn't tell her anything that she didn't already know.

''Are you sure?'' he asked concerned, clearly reluctant to leave her alone.

''Yeah, yeah, fine.'' she smiled, as she plastered another smile on her face, anything for him to leave. She cast a quick look at the barista, who then looked down instantly. Clearly, she had been paying attention to the two of them. Nosy bitch, she thought to herself, but then regretted it. She probably would have done the same thing.

''Okay,'' he said, still sounding unsure, as he took the beverages with him. ''I guess I'll see you at the hotel then?'' he asked, and retrieved backwards through the shop.

''Yeah, sure,'' she told him, and gave him a quick smile before turning to the barista. ''Can you make another one of the one I just dropped, while I go to the restroom?'' she asked, and looked at the lady expectantly.

She gave her an apologetic smile. ''I'm sorry, but it was the one with the really one name, and I can't remember it,'' she said, and Mitchie's mouth formed an 'o'. She couldn't remember the name of Shane's crazy coffe either, and as she looked down on her hand she noticed that the ink was gone. Probably swept away by the hot coffee.

''Well then make a,'' she made a face, ''quad ristretto iced venti whole milk organic 3 pump vanilla 2 pump cinnamon dolce extra hot with foam and whipped cream upside down stirred latte,'' Mitchie made up on the place, and rushed into the restroom.

She scrambled through her purse, until she found the right pillbox. She poured three pills in her hand, and swallowed them, just waiting for them to get in her took a deep breath, and looked herself in the mirror. She wondered how long she could keep this up. After all, she heard the doctor.

A miracle should happen for her to celebrate her eighteenth birthday.

_Of course I can be happy too  
I know the sky above is blue  
And even if my words aren't true  
I'll say them if it pleases __**you**_

* * *

_a/n: hey guys. _

_i know this chapter was a little dull, and i'm sory. i just have to introduce live everybody, and i have now, so i hop ethe next cahpter will be more eventful (:  
one question though; do you guys think my chapters are too long?_

_anyway, i hoped you enjoyed the chapter, and if you did(or didn't) please review. you'll make me a very happy author. lmao. _

_- cee  
_


	5. Smile Like You Mean It

_i feel like a loser because i keep continuing this, hahah (: _

_

* * *

  
_

_Save some face, you know you've only got one  
Change your ways while you're young  
Boy, one day you'll be a man  
Oh girl, he'll help you understand_

That morning, Mitchie was awoken when she felt a strange sensation on her face. It was also wet. She wrinkled her nose and tried to turn on the other side, figuring it was probably something she dreamt. When she heard two fits of giggles though, she sat up so quickly she thought she might possibly get a whiplash. On second note, she might needed a doctoor to clear that one. She snapped her eyes opened her eyes and was greeted by two scaringly happy faces.

"Jason, Miley, what the hell?" she asked and rubbed her face, as to check if she had whip cream

covering her cheeks or something. You never know with those two. Luckily, nothing creamy.

"Oh, this is too good," Miley giggled and quickly, before Mitchie could even process what was going on, snapped a picture on her phone.

"Hello facebook!," she sang and laughed along with Jason.

"Man Miley, I didn't know you had the drawing skills in you. I must say I'm impressed." Jason laughed and high fived Miley, completely oblivious to Mitchie's now alarmed face.

"Drawing?" she exclaimed and jumped up, and hurried to the bathroom, nevertheless taking the time to notice two still unconscious Shane and Nate. She assumed that they had all just fallen asleep in Miley's room. Mitchie let her eyes wander to the alarm clock and her eyes widened when she saw the time. 5.15? Are they for real? Sending a mental evil glare she continued to the bathroom and gasped when she saw her own reflection, making Jason and Miley laugh.

Across her forehead, with a purple marker she might add, was written 'MAKE ME A COWGiRL' and across her cheeks and nose-back, Miley, Mitchie presumed, had drawed several cows. Several, as in plural. Multiple. Many. A lot. Cows?

"Oh my god," Mitchie exclaimed, and immediately began rubbing her cheeks with soap, desperate to get her face back.

"I know, I know, I'm an artistic genius, right?" Miley laughed, and leaned against the door frame leading into the white, light up bathroom. Mitchie sent her an evil glare.

"I hate you, you do realize that right?" Mitchie asked her grumpliy, as she continued to try to rub off the purple marker. Stupid, stupid, stupid permanent marker. Seriously, who invented that anyway? It's not like the world wasn't PERFECTLY FINE before some idiot went along and invented something as stupid as unremovable Indian ink.

"Aww, don't say that," Jason grinned, as Miley just shook her head with a laugh. Mitchie sent Jason an evil glare, causing his smile to falter slightly.

"Wait, why are you two... dressed? It's like, three in the morning..." Mitchie asked, and as to prove her point she gave a little yawn.

"Yeah, more like five thirty, and we're going to have breakfast," Jason explained, and zipped his jacket. "See you later, Cowgirl," he grinned, and sped out the door.

"See ya sucker," Miley laughed, and before she slammed the door behind her, Mitchie heard a faint "Peace!" and her friend was gone.

Rolling her eyes, Mitchie turned to the mirror, with only one thought running through her head.

_Make me a cowgirl?!_

* * *

A half hour, an awkward bathroom incident with a _very_ awake Shane (& Shane Jr, if you catch the drift), lots of rubbing, redness and multiple fatal attempts to get the cows of her face later, Mitchie was about to give up. And ready to kill a certain miss Miley Stewart slash Hannah Montana. It wasn't like anyone would notice if the superstar popsensation Hannah Montana was suddenly missing, right? Yeah, she didn't think so either.

She sighed and studied her face expression. Okay, there had to be something to remove that... stuff off her face, Mitchie thought and began a frantic search in every cupboard and drawer in the bathroom. She came up short. She didn't even have someone to help her, as everyone was gone. Well, actually...

"Whoa," Mitchie heard a voice behind her, causing her to turn around instantly. Even though it was familiar, she still got a fright. "What happened to your face?" an extremely tired-looking Nate asked, as he tried to rub the sleep off his face.

Mitchie smiled slightly at the sight of Nate, his hair completely messed up. "Well, your _lovely_..." she inwardly rolled her eyes, "girlfriend and big brother drew cows across my face, in my sleep!" she exclaimed with a sigh, looking defeated, causing Nate to laugh. Mitchie looked up at him with a pout on her face, and crossed her arms. "Not funny," she mumbled.

Nate sent her a grin, and nodded over his shoulder. "Come on, I know where the good stuff is," he shook his head lightly and retreated back to the hotel room, but not before grabbing a towel with his left hand.

Mitchie lifted suspiciously an eyebrow at him, but followed him with a shrug. When she came into the main room, and saw Nate opening the mini fridge placed there, she lifted an eyebrow. "Vodka?" she asked skeptically, and watched ad Nate took the towel and drenched the tip of it in the alcohol filled liquor.

"Yeah," he replied and took a step towards her, cautiously bringing the cloth to her face. She bit her lip as he gently pressed it to her cheek, and then pulled it back to examine it. "It's the alcohol," the curly haired boy explained. "It removes the permanent marker," he laughed and turned the now purple cloth in his hand, so she could see it as well.

"I thought that was just a cock-and-bull story," she smiled, and he shrugged. "I did too," he confessed, causing the smile on her lips to stretch even bigger.

Nate guided the towel to her cheek, and gently dragged it across her face. Though the silence wasn't uncomfortable, Mitchie thought that, the fact that an international rockstar standing that close to her, and not saying anything, was a little nerve-wracking. She let her eyes wander across his concentrated face, as trying to find a subject for a decent conversation, when a question stroke her.

"Where are the others?" she asked, mentally checking if she had got the time to brush her teeth that morning. She wouldn't want Nate to suffer from a serious case of the Mitchie-morning-breath. She came to the conclusion, that she had in fact brushed her teeth.

"It's just that they kind of left without actually telling me where they were going," the gently brunette added in an afterthought.

"Miley left a note," Nate smiled, and lifted the cloth of her face. "They are out for breakfast, and some last minute errands that my mom apparently had forgotten until now," he explained, and placed the towel on the table next to her. "We should just call her, when we were ready. Guess I overslept a little, huh?"

Mitchie laughed. "No, it's only like..." she looked down at her wrist, but realized she didn't have her watch on, "8.30, or something," she then decided, "Miley & Jason are just seriously morning people," Mitchie laughed, earning an agreeing nod from Nate.

"So, am I pretty and cow-less again?"

"Cow-less, definitely. Pretty?" he asked, and tilted his head to the side and grimaced.

"Oh shut up," she laughed and danced into the bathroom again, but before closing the door behind her she stuck her head out, "I'm taking a shower," she stuck out her tounge at theboy, and disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

_Looking back at sunsets on the Eastside  
We lost track of the time  
Dreams aren't what they used to be  
Some things slide by so carelessly_

"Can't you guys just wait for us? We're going to be there in a sec." Nate asked Miley who on the other line of the phone. Nate and Mitchie were driving through the streets of New York, their destination; a little café which Miley and the two other Gray brothers had vacated only minutes before. The brunette in the car, wasn't paying much attention to the conversation going on beside her, keeping her attention on the always changing city life just on the other side of the tinted windows, a view she couldn't imagine herself growing tired of.

"No," Miley whined through the phone, and Nate could picture a pout forming on her face. "Your brothers are being total meanies, and they won't let me wait for you guys, even though I would MUCH RATHER HANG OUT WITH YOU!" she raised her voice at the end, making sure that both Shane and Jason had heard her.

"Anyway, I have to go now. See you later?" Miley asked, sounding a little bummed.

"Yeah. Miss you," Nate told her through the phone, causing a small smile to strecth on Mitchie's still sore face. Miley had no idea how lucky she was. Mitchie would kill to have someone like Nate in her life, someone to care for her. But she knew she couldn't have that. She would never experience affection like that. She was a ticking bomb. She knew she shouldn't even make new friends, it wasn't fair to any of them, Mitchie thought as she turned her head to look at Nate whom had just hung up the phone. He caught her eye briefly, and offered the brunette a closed mouth smile, before he turned to look out of the window.

She studied his profile, and wondered if she would notice him when he was walking down the street, if he wasn't famous. Sure, he was easy on the eyes, there was no denying that. But he wasn't extraordinarily godlike. He wasn't really that different from any other guy. Not that special. But she would definitely have been drawn to him, no matter what. There was just something about him, that intimidated her. He was so serious, so extremely intense. And still, she was incredibly intrigued by him.

Her eyes wandered over his choice of clothing, and mentally laughed at how similar it was to what she was wearing that morning. Thinking back on the days she spent with him, she figured that they actually had a lot in common. Deciding to put her theory to the test, she lifted her gaze to his face and directed her question towards him.

"Hey Nate, what's ya favorite color?" she broke the silence that had been towering above their heads for the last couple of minutes.

"I have no idea," he admitted, a little confused by the sudden curiosity. "Why?"

"No reason," she shrugged, but couldn't help the smile stretching across her face.

She was right. They were two indecisive creatures, just coincidently crossing each others random paths.

* * *

''Candles? Are you for real?'' Mitchie asked, and looked at the what seemed like millions of rack cointaining a even higher number of candles in so many shapes, sizes and cloros, that MItchie thought she might died and gone to Candle land. She wondered briefly why the department store had saved almost a half floor for candles, but then again, why not?

''Well, it's my mom,'' Nate shrugged. ''She wants to make life on the road as homey as possible.''

Okay, she could she the rational thoughts in that. ''But, this is insane!'' she exclaimed, standing back mildly astonished, while Nate was making his way down the racks, a chuckle escaping his throat. ''What do you think my mother would prefer?''He wondered out loud. ''Polished, lacquered or overdipped candles?''

''Aww, no underdipped? Shame,'' Mitchie sarcastically replied, but smiled as she got up beside him and rested her chin on his shoulder, as she looked over it, completely oblivious to him tensing up. She was so indulged in mentally debating over the scented vanilla and a lacquered violaceus colored one, that she didn't even notice Nate hadn't stopped breathing. It wasn't because he had a problem with Mitchie, actually far from it, bu she was _so close_ to him. Miley's face flashed in his mind, and he felt stupid. Mitchie was just a friend, though he had to admit it helped on his conscience when she lifted her head and took a step in front of him. She reached out for a white square candle, and handed it to him. ''Buy three boxes of these, and two of these,'' she added and handed him a purple, lacquered one. ''Couldn't make up my mind,'' she shrugged with a grin, which instantly was replaced with a pained grimace.

''You okay?'' Nate asked alarmed, and if it wasn't for the candles in his hands he would have reached out to her, someway. She quickly put on a fake smile, ''I'm fine.''

But as soon as he started retrieving to the cashier, her hand shot up to her throbbing head and she gave in to the pain, letting a small tear make it's way down her cheek.

Truth was, everyday she fake a smile and tell she's fine. Just one day, she would like someone to tell her to cut the crap, sit down and tell the truth.

_Smile like you mean it  
Smile like you mean it_

_

* * *

  
_

a/n: i'm sorry this chapter was kinda blah, but next chapter will be up shortly... if you review that is (:

- cee


	6. Rusty Halo

_a/n: guys, this is like seriously fast updating. well, actually no. but almost (: i would like to thank the people who care enough to review. you are awesome (: _

* * *

_it's been a long time coming, but you know you had it coming..._

_

* * *

_Hours had ticked by and Nate found himself in the fancy upper east side deparment store, still dragged around by a certain ms. Torres. But actually, he couldn't be too harsh on her. It wasn't her fault they were still here. Miley & the guys had promised they would meet them there at 12. It was now nearing 2 o'clock, and they were still a no-show. So Mitchie, like any other girl would, Nate assumed, had taken this opportunity to catch up on some 'much needed splurging' as she called it. So far, it didn't go any further than a smoothie and a way overpriced, designers band T-shirt. That is until now when Mitchie was dragging Nate by the wrist towards a showcase with a deep brown, exclusive looking sign above reading Mulberry. ''You have got to be kidding me,'' Nate stated, and stood his ground. He was acting similar to the five-year-old boy they had seen earlier, who was acting up because his mommy wouldn't give him a lollipop. Poor creature. Some moms just don't get the importance of a rainbow striped lollipop.

''But it's so pretty!'' she sighed, and let her hand glide over the see-through glass. Nate raised an eyebrow at her. She had a million bags and purses, he knew that much. He might never have seen all of them, but Miley had. Her livid (and slight jealous) description was enough for him. Mitchie even had polaroids of her closet in her wallet!

''You're not buying it! It costs a fortune! I don't care how many trust funds you have, you can put it on you birthday wish list,'' he stated firmly.

He heard he sigh. ''Yeah, I guess,'' she mumbled, and didn't seem so interested in the expensive mulberry bag any longer.

''What's wrong? You don't like birthdays?'' he joked, and was surprised to her sigh sligthly and shrug her fragile shoulders. Did she really want to talk to him about all this?

''Seriously? You don't like birthdays? How can you not?'' Nate asked perplexed, clearly not understanding her deal. And she could understand why. For some others, well mostly all other people on this blue planet, the idea of being the center of attention for a day, getting presents and eating cake might seem appealing. And that part of it, Mitchie understood very well. Heck, she would do that everyday if it was possible. But… ''It's just the concept of it! I don't get why you celebrate getting a year older! All it means is that you are closer to dying, and i don't really see what's so effing great about that,'' Mitchie exclaimed, which caused Nate to laugh.

''Wow, you're depressing to be around,'' he laughed, and Mitchie mustered a fake one aswell. Obviously, he thought she was joking . ''When is your birthday anyway?'' he asked, and tilted his head to the side. He looked like a puppy, which made Mitchie smile. He looked positively cute, and what is she saying?

''43 days'' she shrugged, and Nate eyes widened. He was surprised that a girl that apparently disliked the concept of birthdays so greatly, would count down to her own. Before he could get a reply out though, he was tackled in a hug from behind by none other than ms. Miley. Mitchie laughed loudly, untill she felt her feet being lifted off the ground.

''SHANE! Set me down!'' she screeched. People were staring at the two, but Shane and the guys didn't seem to mind. The only one with that problem was Mitchie. After struggling for a few minutes, Shane finally set her down. ''What the hell is your problem?'' she smacked his arm.

''Aww, missed you too Mitch,'' he smiled at her sweetly and she stuck her tongue out at him. Somewhere in between, Jason had suggested lunch, and soon enough Mitchie was on her way to a small cafe she had never been to before.

* * *

They weren't supposed to mean this much to her, and Mitchie wasn't supposed to miss them like this. Especially not before they were actually gone. ''Miley, don't cry!'' Mitchie ordered thorugh her tears, her own eyes positively red and puffy. The private jet that was going to transport the superstars to Ohio where their first show was, and their tour bus was waitiing, was soon to take off, so they all knew they had to do this quick.

''That's coming from you!'' she excalimed, and hugged her friend tight once more. ''I'm gonna miss you so much! Who knows if we're ever going to see each other again?'' Miley asked, and looked geniunely scared at the thought. Mitchie laughed, and shook her head. Of course we're gonna see each other again! It just won't be for another… 3-4 months, or so…'' she trailed off and looked down at her hands, reality really setting in with her aswell.

''Nonesense! We have like… what, 3 shows in New York? I'm ordering you to come!'' Mitchie laughed. They both knew that it was their 3 last shows that was held in New York, but neither of them chose to voice it. Instead Miley was pushed out of the way, and Jason hugged the living daylights out of Mitchie. ''Promise to call?'' he asked, which she nodded her head at. Up next was Shane, and of course he made some stupid prank, which had Mitchie screaming and hitting him on every inch of his body that she could possibly reach.

Then it was Nate… Mitchie didn't really know how to handle that one. It seemed that they were always somehow… awkward. They had to have been in the same room for about thirty minutes before they warmed up to each other, and from then on they were somewhat… friendly. But by mysterious causes, they didn't seem to just hit off naturally.

''So,..'' Nate shuffled his foot and kicked at some lose stones in the pavement.

''So…'' she immitated. She could see he wasn't really going to say anything more, and a simple handshake kind of seemed… pathetic. She pulled him in to a closed hug, which it took some time for him to accept, probably just shocked. Well, that what's MItchie told herself anyway.

''Don't tell them about my birthday,'' she whispered in his ear, and leaned back to see his facial expression. When she saw it was hesitant, she quickly pulled him in again, ''Please?''

''Fine,'' he grumbled, his breath making the small haird on her neck stand up. She pulled away, somewhat flustered, and waved at them all as they boarded the private plane.

This was not supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to get attached. Because we all knew what the ending would be like.

* * *

_... everyones running from something but we don't know when it's coming, so we keep running and running..._

_

* * *

_

Days dragged by, slower than a snail crawling up from a well. Somehow her normal life seemed more dull now. She was probably the only one to think that. There were of course the parties that she attended more frequently now, than when her famous friends were in the city. It wasn't because she didn't enjoy hanging out with Ella, Caitlyn, Baron, Sander and on the rare occasion Peggy, but they just weren't that close. She realizerd how superficial their relationship was. How superficial all of her relationships really was. No one knew her, not really. Except from her parents, Grandmother and sister. Which was about the family she had, really.

Her big sister Nora lived in Philadelphia, and somehow she had managed to pursue Mitchie to fly out there over Thanksgiving and christmas. Well, over thanksgiving only actually. The original plan was for Micthie to stay at her big sister and her boyfriend, all through december. That, her grandmother had put an end to though. She would not let her granddaughter miss a whole month of school, though Mitchie didn't see the big damn problem. All they did that month was to cut out paperhearts and eat some christmas cooking, and drink some horribly tasting chistmas drink, that no one liked, but everyone drank.

The compromise had come to that Mitchie spend to weeks at her big sisters, then back one wekk of school, and then she would fly to California for christmas with her grandmother and sister. And if she was unlucky, her parents as well. Sometimes Mitchie wondered if they thought she was some circus clown, they could just drag around the manege. Sometimes she loathed that no one in her family could stand each other. It meant a hell of a lot more traveling around the county, heck around the world, and Mitchie was sure that her family was responsible for atleast half of the CO2 that is now destroying our ozonlayer. Couldn't some of them just come to her for a chnge? Apparently not. Other wise she wouldn't find herself on a Delta Airlines plane, sitting in first class, of course.

''Yes, I just landed Nora. Gosh, yes. No I'm not allowed to turn this thing on yet. You were the one who called me! No! Nora! Nora… Nora? Fine! Yeah, see you in a bit…Love you too,'' she hung up, and threw her head back in the seat again. All this medication really made her sleepy.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she remembers was a flight attendant poking her in the arm. Seriously? That is like the most annoying way to get waked up by, ever. At first you think it's like a feather or something, and you brush it off. Then you think it's something in your dream, and slowly you realize it isn't, and then it just becomes annoying and when you wake up you just want to rip that goddamned blonde hair of that stupid flight attendant named… Alexis. God damnit, Alexis! Hey that's pretty cacthy phrase. Maybe she should try it out. But not on the towering about her. You know when you just want to punch someone, because they are too happy? Yup. Right now.

Instead, she gave a small smile, ''Ooops, must have dozed off,'' Micthie excused herself and quickly got out of the seat and on safe ground before she could recieve one of those deadly annoying smiles.

Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, Mitchie sighed annoyed and snap it open. ''Nora! You said I should turn this off! Granted i didn't, but hello?'' she sighed, and looked around the unfamiliar airport. She hadn't even bothered with caller ID, because she knew who it was.

''Wow, PMS much? You almost sound like Miley when she's angry, and that's not really something to aim for…''

Okay, maybe not. ''Nate?'' Mitchie had to admit, the surprise was evident in her voice. But it wasn't a bad surprise. It was good, she thought with a smile.

''Damn, I thought I made a perfect Shane impression right there!'' he exclaimed, and had the girl laughing.

''Sorry to disappoint,'' she shrugged and balanced her phone on her shoulder, while putting her hair into a ponytail. Did she mention that she had to balance a purse, a magazine and walk? Oh yeah, multitasking baby. Something only girls know how to do.

''S'okay,'' he laughed, ''really isn't something I should aim for, is it?'' he asked casually, trying to make small talk, which Mitchie found somehow… odd. It wasn't like him, it wasn't like them. But it wasn't a set back, that's for sure. Her face lit up as she spotted that the baggage claims had already started bringing out the suitcases from flight. Efficiency? In airports? You have got to be kidding.

''Oh, he's not that bad,'' Mitchie laughed. ''Shane's got a new girl, has he?'' she then wondered out loud. He always had. It wasn't really a question. It was _always_ the answer.

''Yeah, he's been pretty hung up on this girl... Coco?'' he questioned her, but then moved on ''I don't know, it's not gonna last for a longer period of time anyway,..''

''Hang on,'' she mumbled and had to let go of her phone for a minute to get her luggage. After some struggle, she finally got it up on the cart and was back at the conversation. ''I'm back,'' she breathed, and marched towards the exit doors with a blue fiat in mind as her destination.

''Wow, sure you're still alive over there?'' Nate joked, which Mitchie didn't appreciate. ''Ha-ha, funny. But seriously, why are you calling? Not that I mind...'' she trailed off, realizing it might have come off wrong. Those thoughts briefly left her head though, as she saw her sisters boyfriend Matt leaned against that blue fiat. Unlike Mitchie, Nora had been cut off. No more trust fund for her, and the parents acted like she didn't exist. All because she had run off with Matt, when the parents didn't approve of him. She got an ultimatum, and walked away from it. The parents couldn't deal with that. And yes, they will continuously be referred to as 'the parents'.

''Well, what are you doing December 15?'' he questioned, as Mitchie raised her eyebrow completely ignoring Matt that was so kind to take her suitcase. Okay, normally she would have been nicer, but right now she was busy. Yeah, multitask my ass, she thought as she got in to the car, giving her only sister a brief smile.

''That's my birthday Nate, you know that! Oh my god, you are not planning anything are you?'' she asked alarmed, and if looks could kill (and be sent through a cell phone) mr. Nathaniel Jerry Gray would be dead and gone.

''No, I'm not. I just want to hear, you're in New York now right? And you will be by then?''

''No, I'm in freaking Pennsylvania right now. Do not ask what I'm doing here!'' she sighed, which made Nora, who had been leaned over the front seat the whole entire conversation, huff insulted. That was forgotten though, when her boyfriend sat behind the wheel, and she was concentrated on him.

''But yes,...'' she trailed off, with no idea in her head why she was telling him this, ''I'll be in New York by then, but I swear to god, Nathani–'' she was cut off mid-sentence by her friend.

''Okay, I've had enough full name from you for one day. And I promise to not do anything crazy,'' he assured her. Well, tried to. Wasn't working.

''No! Not anything! I don't care if it's non-crazy, just not!'' she exclaimed, but Nate had already hung up by then.

''Stupid, little curly haired... ugh!'' she exclaimed and threw her phone in her Mulberry bag. Yeah, yeah, but it wasn't the _right_ one.

''Do you have a _boyfriend?_'' Matt teased, knowing about her illness, therefore knowing it was highly unlikely for that to ever happen.

''Ha-ha, very funny,'' she mumbled and threw some of those snack bags you get on the plane, right at his head.

''Welcome to Philadelphia, PA.'' Nora leaned back, sighing and turned up for the radio.

* * *

''I thought you said you lived _in_ Philadelphia?'' Mitchie cracked a smile, and turned to her sister.

''Oh shut up,'' she laughed and hugged her baby sister for the first time in too many months. They were standing in the middle of a small but very homey living room, with old armchairs draped in blankets. There were candles everywhere, (the overdipped ones, she could tell by now) and the small coffee table was bombarded with various magazines. Everything form french vogue to some hiking magazine called _Backpacker_. Mitchie loved it already.

Somehow the day seemed to go faster when she was in Pennsylvania. She loved the quietness, and being with no one else than her sister and her boyfriend. She loved that they ate turkey pizza on thanksgiving instead of going all out, and she loved the place they lived. The children were little, the couples young. The houses were old, and everything just seemed so idyllic. Of course there was the random call from either her friends in New York, or those on the road to break that idyllic atmosphere. But then sometimes she would just let it ring. Well, because of that and the fact that she _loved_ her ringtone. _I don't wanna fall asleep, because I don't know if I'll wake up, and I don't wanna cause a scene, but I'm dying_— usually that would be where she chose to pick up.

''Mitchie, would you get the mail for me?'' Nora's voice brought the sick girl out of her thoughts, and she looked up with a smile. The thought of going home the next day scared her, but what scared her even further was what Nate was up to. It was something, she was positively sure.

''Sure thing,'' she replied and jumped up, but immediately regretted doing so. A burning pain shot through her, but she put on a brave face and faked a smile. For her sisters benefit. Gaining her balance back, she sped out of the door to get to the mail so fast, like a little kid, that she forgot to see where she was going. Needles to say, she collided with... something.

''Whoa, slow down there,'' she heard a voice and looked up to see the cause of her sudden stop. Oh boy. She was staring at a guy, who was positively gorgeous. His blond hair fell in front of his green eyes in such a way, that she felt a tie knot all the way in her stomach. But she knew his type. Player, with a capital P.

''Sorry, just got to get the mail,'' she smiled politely, and quickly fetched the mail, desperate to get inside again. He was way to old for her anyways.

''Hey, hey. Where's the fire? I just... haven't I seen you around here before?'' he asked, and smiled a smile that was probably meant to be swooning, and it probably would have if he hadn't opened his mouth and spoken those vomit-provoking words just a second before.

''No, unless you're a stalker, which I quite frankly wouldn't be surprised if you were, then you haven't seen me around. And thanks to that pathetic attempt of flirting or whatever that was, now you will never see me around either,'' she told him and turned on her heal with a smug smile on her face. That quickly fell thought when she got inside.

''What the hell is wrong with you? That gorgeous boy was just flirting with you!'' Nora exclaimed and looked close to absolute gobsmacked.

''Yeah, I know!'' Mitchie exclaimed disturbed and shuttered, before she sat down.

''Why didn't you give the guy a chance? You have no idea how much courage it takes to address a total stranger. And not just a stranger, but an attractive female stranger,'' this time it was Matt's calm voice that was directed towards Mitchie.

''Oh guys! He was a total creep! And _so_ not my type,'' Mitchie explained to them, and shrugged it off. Whatever, she was going home tomorrow anyway. If he was a nice guy, she would never get the time or opportunity to figure it out. She wasn't really bothered by it.

''Oh, so Mitchie _does_ have a type?'' Nora asked, with a smug smile herself. ''Tell me!''

Mitchie looked at her like she was an idiot, and shook her head. No way in hell. It was only when Matt joined the begging, and cheering became involved that Mitchie surrendered.

''Well, I don't know! I just like...'' she sighed, and pictured a perfect boy ''I like dark brown curls, you know those you can tangle your hands in...''

''Oh yeah, curls are the best to cover up make-out hair as well!'' Nora felt the need to supply, which gained her a gasp from Matt who has positively the straightest hair you will ever find.

''... and brown eyes, with a sense of fashion, but still being able to play it cool. I would like him to be really intense and serious on the outside, but then when you get hi to warm up to you, he will absolutely melt your heart with his caring and sweet nature,'' she sighed and rested her head in her hand, Nora following her lead.

''Someone has a crush,'' Matt pointed out, and laughed at Mitchie's antics.

''I do not.'' she argued back. Seriously? A crush? That's just ridiculous. And on whom that might be? Yeah, ridiculous.

''You do!''

''Do not,''

''Do too!''

''Do not!''

''Okay, guys seriously! Mitchie doesn't have a crush! We get it!'' Nora exclaimed, and her little sister smiled triumphantly at Matt.

''But sis, you do realize you just described that fag guy from, what's the name...'' Nora trailed off, and looked around the room as if something might give her the answer.

''Do not call Nate that!'' Mitchie exclaimed, pissed off. Seriously, what is it with people just assuming things because of stupid reporters and their own stupid minds, mixed with stupid jealousy. Seriously!

''Which I think, totally proves my point! Hah!'' Matt exclaimed, and it was his point to have the triumphant smile plastered all over his face.

''Wha-what?'' Mitchie asked, and looked from the man to the woman and back.

''It was a trap Mitch, and you fell in it,'' Nora laughed. ''Whoever this Nate guy is, you obviously have a crush on him,'' her sister shrugged, and then fell into an easy conversation with her better half, as Mitchie just sat there looking out into the space.

Crush on Nate? Impossible. She couldn't. No way. Come on! It was Nate! Her best friends boyfriend! It wasn't physically possible!

... right?

* * *

_... now there's no light to guide me on my way home, now there's no time to shine my rusty halo._

_

* * *

_

_a/n: i say positively way too much. it's such a bad habbit. excuse me. _

_want to know what happens? press that little funky button that says **review**. it gets so happy (:  
_


	7. The Best Day

a/n: this is **so** incredibly long. 11 pages in word, 5,828 words without the authors note. and i swear, if this doesn't deserve reviews, i don't know what do (: and i want to dedicate this chapter to the always supporting **withoutspaces**. she writes mostly hsm-fics, if you're into that sorta thing, but she also has some mean cr oneshots, which is personally some of my favs so check her out you guys (:

* * *

_i hear your laugh and look up smiling at you I run and run...  
... i don't know why all the trees change in the fall, i know you're not scared of anything at all..._

* * *

All the way home from Pennsylvania(which wasn't a long time, considering the flight took about 20 minutes) she spent thinking about what Nora had concluded. Which she still thought was positively bullocks. No way in any form of hell was she crushing on Nathaniel Jerry Gray. Just, no way. It wasn't because he wasn't sweet. Because, he was, especially when he didn't try. When his sweet nature just showed. And he was definitely funny. In his own corky way. Not in the obvious way that Shane was funny, with his pranks, his jokes and his funny comebacks. No, Nate was different. He didn't have to make himself look ridiculous to make people laugh. And he was cute. In that intellectual kind of way, that made every girl on this planet swoon, and gosh! Why couldn't these ridiculous thoughts stop? Okay, yes maybe she was attracted to him, but that's where it ended. He was Miley's man, and if it stood to Mitchie it would always be like that.

Still the thoughts couldn't leave her head as she sat in the taxi on the way over to her dorms. Or when she came home in the middle of the night to a dead quiet dorm room. Okay, that's a lie, they briefly left her mind as she wondered where in the hell Peggy could be at this hour, but then they entered again. It was only in her sleep she could get a little peace, and even there she had nightmares. But in the morning she somehow felt lighter. Like it was thought through. She couldn't possibly find a new angle to the statement, nor could she find a new solution. It's like when you've cried so much, you're sure you have no tears left in you. Plus you have an incredibly head ache. That's how she felt now. Except the crying. Which meant only the headache, but then again, what's the new in that?

She also woke up to a sweet text from Miley. She had found some quote she thought fit the two of them. It had Mitchie 'aww'-ing, something she was certainly not known for. Mitchie quickly typed a reply about how she missed her, and that she would call soon. She also found happy birthday text from her sister, who practically had thrown the birthday party of a lifetime the night before, even though Nora was a aware of Mitchie's dislike of the event. There was also one from her Dad saying he would call later, as well as the usual 'Happy Birthday' card from her mother and grandmother, both of them with a 4 digit check taped to them. Well, that was always something.

Mitchie cast a look at the calendar on her wall. The 15th of December. Her birthday. Luckily none of her friends knew about it. She guessed it had never really occurred to them, to ask her. And to tell you the truth, she was just fine with that. She was only slightly worried about Nate. Slightly.

The gently brunette sighed softly, and got off her bouncy bed. Off to another day of algebra and blah. School sucks, Mitchie concluded as she made her way out in the swarmed hallway, half-heartedly greeting some familiar faces in the crowd. She was surprised she hadn't hear from her friends, mainly Caitlyn and Ella, she had after all been gone for almost two weeks, but she forgot about that as soon as she caught sight of Ella's black, almost Asian-looking straight hair.

"Ella!" Mitchie exclaimed, and ran up to greet her older friend with a smile on her face. "I haven't seen you at all since I came home last night! What have you been up to?" she asked, falling into step with the shorter girl.

"Oh, sorry," she replied curtly, surprising Mitchie. Ella was always so happy. "You hadn't told me, that you came home yesterday," the black haired beauty explained shortly, and stopped at her locker, fumbling a little with lock before finally getting it right.

"Oh," Mitchie replied, not really sure what to say. Instead she just watched her friends, the wheels turning in her mind. What could have caused this snappy behavior coming from her friend?

"But I guess that isn't the only thing you have kept from me," Ella slammed the locker shut, and turned to Mitchie with something rolled in her hand, which soon came in contact with Mitchie's chest. She had to catch it quickly, before Ella let it slide out of her small hand.

"Some friend you are, Mitch. Really. We used to tell each other everything," Ella accused, and Mitchie had to look away. Ella didn't know anything of importance about Mitchie's life. And she was afraid that Ella might just had uncovered the most important of them all.

"But I guess not anymore," Ella spat, and Mitchie looked at he utterly confused without a guess in the world of how she should act at the present moment.

"You are a lying, backstabbing bitch," Mitchie could feel her eyes prickle but she wouldn't let any tears fall. This what it. Everyone would know. Mitchie: The freaky sick girl, that would be her name. "and the worst part of it all?" Ella took a step closer to the girl, on the verge of tears, probably to look intimidating and succeeding greatly. "You're not even that good at it," she spat and took a step back collecting herself. She put on the face that was normally reserved for the wannabe's and losers, and apparently now for the redeyed Mitchie aswell.

"You can find another lunch table from now on," Ella ordered and turned on her heel, in the directing of a waiting Caitlyn. Mitchie sent a desperate look to the outspoken curly haired girl, and even though her tears she could see the dirty look she was receiving. She couldn't bare this. This is why she didn't want anyone to know. She didn't want to be an outcast, she didn't want to be looked at differently. But now she was.

It was all getting to much to her, and with her tears were threatening to fall, she took a decision to do something irrational, something she had never done before. She ran and ran down the now fairly deserted hallway, and slammed her down open, only to close it with such force, that any other time she would have been afraid that the ceiling would come tumbling down on her. She slid down the door, and the tears just flowed. For the first time she felt genuinely sorry for herself. She hadn't before, not even when she was first diagnosed or when her grandfather died. It was her parents and grandmother she took pity on, not herself.

"Mitchie?" a familiar voice asked terrifying closely to her, and the girl looked up to see... Nate. She didn't even think to question his presence, all thoughts of it being her birthday were long gone. All she did was leap into his arms, and hug him tightly. He didn't question her behavior, he just helped her up on her legs, still holding her close to his body.

"Come on. Not here you don't," he mumbled and held her close to him as he led out of the dorm, and now down the completely deserted hallway. But she didn't register any of that. The only thought running through her head was that Nate smelled like cinnamon.

* * *

_... i'm fourteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean, i come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys, and we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away, and we talk and window shop till i forgot all their names_...

* * *

Everything was a blur to Mitchie, and she didn't register anything until the smell of leather hit her nostrils and she looked up from Nate's now tear stained t-shirt. "I'm sorry," Mitchie choked between the sobs she was so desperately trying to hold down, and gestured towards his shirt.

His facial structure remained the same as he shrugged his strong shoulders. "Care to explain what's wrong?" Nate mumbled and brushed a lonely tear away, which was fighting it's way down Mitchie's soft cheek. The girl closed her eyes in embarrassment. What had come over her? What in the world had she'd been thinking? Breaking down in front of Nate, one of the only person she so desperately just wanted to seem _fine_ in front of.

Thinking fast, she came up with a sneaky response, "Care to explain what you are doing here? On my birthday?" she asked him, a forced smile gracing her soft features. She fingered the hem of the black leather seat she had been placed on, and looked around in the car. All she could guess was that it was a SUV with tinted windows, and Nate's personal driver was sitting behind the wheel.

"You didn't answer my question," he stated, and to be frank Mitchie was quite surprised by the serious tone in his voice. She scooted slightly away from him, but her eyes were still trained on his face. "Well, you didn't answer mine either," It was immature, she knew. But she didn't want to talk about the fact that by tomorrow rumor would have spread around campus that former it girl, Mitchie Torres, was sick. He didn't need to know that, and she didn't want to be constantly reminded of that by someone else. The ticking bomb in her brain made sure she didn't forget it.

They sat in a silence for awhile, and Mitchie was tempted to ask where they were going, but realized she was too exhausted. She actually appreciated the silence. The scenery outside the window was captivating her attention, distraction her from her otherwise normally dodgy thoughts.

"I wanted to make sure you had a proper birthday," Nate suddenly spoke up, and the girl snapped her head to the sound of his voice, but found him staring out of the opposite window of the one she had looked out of just a second before. When he didn't say anything else, she was considering for a moment if he hadn't said anything at all, and it was all just her imagination, when he decided to speak up again. "I know you don't really get along with your family, and we weren't really that far away..." the curly haired boy trailed off, and looked at Mitchie, "so I wanted to make sure you had a proper birthday," he shrugged and turned his gaze to the road again.

Mitchie's eyes were once again getting teary, and she mentally asked herself why she was so emotional today, before scooting over and hugging her friend. "Thank you," she whispered, and held him tightly for a moment or two. When she pulled back, he was smiling at her, and she smiled back.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

"Wyckoff, NJ." he stated simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mitchie lifted one of her eyebrows confused, "Okay, I have to admit, I'm kind of confused here," the girl confessed, which only made Nate laugh and roll his eyes.

"It's my birth city," he explained, and Mitchie's mouth formed an 'o'. She then stifled a yawn, and fell asleep, and though she would never admit it, she was actually genuinely excited for whatever Nate had up his sleeve.

* * *

"Oh my god, you are kidding me right?" Mitchie laughed, and had to hold a hand over her mouth, simply because she was afraid that the coke in the would spit out along with the laughter she had a hard time suppressing.

Nate had taken her to a small, cozy diner where he had sworn they had the best hamburgers you could get east of Kansas. If it was because they had exceptionally good hamburgers in Kansas, Mitchie would probably never know but she had to admit that the one she had just eaten was pretty damn good.

"I swear, I'm not kidding! They had a pillow fight over a pillow! Resulting in every pillow on the bus was ruined, and we had to buy new monogrammed ones so it would never happen again," Nate answered with that rare smile on his face, that she had already grown so fund of.

"Man, I wish I was there," Mitchie giggled, and leaned back in the comfortable chair. "So, what now?" she then wondered out loud. She thought it so sweet of Nate to travel, probably across the country, just to take her to the small town where he grew up and have lunch. It was sweet.

"We have to pick up your present," Nate smiled and threw some money on the table, and got up from his seat.

Okay, that sounded even sweeter, but then also completely irrational. "No. Look, I know I said that I didn't want you to do anything for my birthday, but truth be told this is exactly what I needed for today. So, Thank you. You've given me the best birthday gift already. This is already too much, you just traveled, probably across the country, so make sure I had a proper birthday. Really." she added with an easygoing smile, but apparently Nate didn't take that kind of no for an answer. The boy sounded an frustrating sigh, from his towering position in front of her. It was only when he sat down opposite her again, that she noted his sad eyes, standing in great contrast to the eyes filled with happiness he had sported a second before.

Another sigh escaped his lips and he looked up at her through his eyelashes. "Would it make you accept my present, if I told you that yes, your birthday was part of my decision to come here, but not the most... crucial reason?"

The gentle brunnne confusedly tilted her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

He ran his hands through his hair, and looked at Mitchie, as if asking her if she really wanted to know. When Nate didn't get a verbal answer, he sighed. Well, she would know soon anyway, so it might be better coming from him.

"Miley and I, well, we sorta.... broke up." The boy winced, afraid to whatever reaction he'd might get from Mitchie. She and Miley were after all, kind of best friends, and to be frank, he was afraid that Mitchie would want to cut his balls off. He cautiously opened one eye, and peered out between his fingers that were currently covering his face. But when he saw that Mitchie just sat there with a shocked look on his face, he removed his hand.

"But... how? And how come she didn't tell me? This makes no sense! You were so good together! And you just... what are you doing here then?"

Nate sighed. "I don't know. The last two weeks, we have fought almost everyday, and usually just over stupid things like, why she kissed me on stage, and this whole thing with the media and fans going crazy because some don't want us together, and we hadn't even confirmed to anyone that we were actually together! Can you imagine going public? It would be hell. So, we broke it off this morning,–" he tried to explain, but was cut off by Mitchie.

"THIS MORNING?!" she shrieked, earning a lot of wondering stares from the people around them, to which it might have occured that a celebrity was in the room. "That must be why she hasn't told me... my phone is in my dorm, and she needs me... and oh gosh, this is just the worst day ever,.." Mitchie sighed, and looked like she was on the verge of tearing up. Why she was so goddamn emotional today, she had no idea.

Looking at a sad Mitchie, Nate wanted nothing more than to comfort her, and make that smile appear on her face again. But then he remembered why she was sad in the first place, and a wave of remorse came crashing down on him. He had to continue his story. Even if she wasn't listening anymore, he had to. He couldn't keep it inside him.

"– and since I had already planned to come see you, I decided to stay here, at home, until the show in Jersey. I'll only be missing out on some promotion for the new album, and one show in Vegas. But since we already have had two shows there, we figured it wouldn't be a big problem. We are after all just the opening act..." he trailed off and tried to give a indifferent shrug, but his eyes told the girl across him otherwise. He was anything but indifferent.

She got out off her seat, and slid into his and placed a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Plus, you couldn't stand being around Miley at the moment,"

"Yeah..." he trailed off, an offered a small smile to Mitchie. "Now, will you let me give you your present?" His whole face lit up at the thought, and the girl couldn't help but laugh out loud. How could she say no to that?

"Damn right, I will." A confused smile stretched across her lips as Nate got up, and put his jacket on. He added another dollar to the pile of bills already lying on top of the check they had received earlier.

When he saw her motionless body, he stopped his actions for a minute and send her a smile. "Now, don't just sit there on your flat ass all day," he instructed which earned a dramatic sigh from the girl, "we gotta pick up your present," Nate smiled and offered his hand to help the girl up. She delicately reached out for it, and as soon as their skin came in contact she felt like screaming in her head.

She just held hands with Nate Gray! Such warm hand he has, she thought with a goofy smile on her face.

_Get over yourself_, a voice in her head yelled. _He just broke up with your best friend! Seriously!_

Despite the very rational voices in her head, Mitchie couldn't rip the smile off her face. Granted their touch only lasted for five seconds, it still send the butterflies in her stomach on a high. She just held hands with Nate Gray!

They walked out of the cozy diner soon after, but not before the waitress had gotten the deed on what the entire Gray gang was up to these days, and why hadn't she seen them around? While Nate, the gentleman he was, threw in some questions about her family as well, and they were all fine, thanks for asking, except from her big sister who had gotten this mysterious rash last week, but it seemed to be in reverse now. Mitchie couldn't help but laugh at Nate's face, when the waitress, who she soon learned was named Sammy, described in details the shape of the redness of her sisters butt. One word? Priceless.

As far as Mitchie had been able to understand, they were now walking down the main street, headed for the postoffice. When Mitchie had asked what in the world they were going to do at the post office, Nate had explained that he had sent her present ahead of him, just to be sure that she would get it, even if he had been conflicted. How sweet was that?

Though the weather was cold, and the air frosty, Mitchie surprisingly did not freeze. And as cliche as it might sound, she believed it was because of Nate. Just his presence made her feel good, and made all her worries go away. She didn't have a negative outlook on the world when she was with him. She felt somewhat free.

"We're here," Nate announced, waking Mitchie from her train of thought. In front of her was a large grey building, with a multiple people running in and out, and to be honest, Mitchie was kind of disappointed. Maybe it was because she wasn't really the big postoffice-user, but she had always assumed that I'd be an old, red building or something. She shrugged it off, and followed Nate inside the grey building.

Her eyes swooped over the million people divided into five ques, each of them leading to a individual desk, and she had to do everything in power not to sigh out loud. Life was just too short, to stand in line, you know? But to her surprise, Nate didn't take a place behind some of the people, who had probably been here for hours, instead he took a sharp right, and then a left. Mitchie had to hurry to keep up his fast pace; probably because he didn't want to be recognized in a city, where he's not even supposed to be. In a matter of seconds, they found

themself in the delivery office, Mitchie too amazed by the power of a celebrity, to comprehend who or what Nate was talking with and about. That little sneak.

Before she knew it, the post-guy-man-thing was gone, and Nate turned to his friend. "Come on," he told her and threw his head in the direction that the guy he just talked to went. Mitchie shrugged her shoulders, and obliged happily. All this was getting suspiciously exciting for her, though she would never admit it. Nate told her something about the guy, Josh, locking her present in a safe deposit upon request. Just to be sure it wouldn't disappear in the mess of packages. And she had to wonder, what it could possibly be?

At last the goal was reached, their destination being a small secluded backroom, with what could have looked like high school lockers covering one of the walls in the rectangular room. The only ones in there were the two of them, and Mitchie noticed one of the 'lockers' as she decided to call them, was open. The curly haired boy

"So, it might not be it might not be a pony," Nate grinned and referred to a story Mitchie had told him about her sixth brithday, "nor a private concert with Beyonce," 12th birthday, she thought with a chuckle and shook her head, "but eh,..." he trailed off, and Mitchie jokingly rolled her eyes.

"Just give it to me!" Mitchie whined, and lunged out for the present that was firmly placed in his arms. But seeing her eagerness, Nate pulled it back with a devilish smirk on her face,

"Oh, so know you want the present after all?" he asked, and Mitchie slumped her shoulders.

"Please?" she begged with big eyes, and pouted her lower lip, completing the puppy dog look, that no one ever had the heart to deny. Sighing at his own weakness towards the girl, Nate somewhat reluctantly gave the resent over to Mitchie whose face lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning. Her eager fingers moved hurried over the ribbons and wrapping paper and soon enough a brown carton box with the word _Mulberry_ written in bold letters across it, and Mitchie's eyes widened as they met Nate's happy ones.

Not a word were exchanged between the two, as her eyes returned to the box now resting gently in her lap, and her hands began once again, this time more gently and calm, to open the box. She pulled a cotton bag clad item out of it, and though she knew what it was before she had seen it, the sight of it's beauty still took her by surprise. It was of purple patent letter, and in it screamed _Mitchie_ in every possible way. But...

"How?" she choked on the tears, that she hadn't realized were staring to fight their way out of her eyes. For the millionth time that day. She didn't get how he could possibly know which bag it was that she wanted. Sure, the model, a _Bayswater_, it was a classic, she had showed it to him. But the color? When she hadn't even made her own mind up about that, before the instant she laid eyes on it just seconds ago?

"I just figured, that since you're favorite candles, which my mom agrees with you on by the way, were the purple lacquered ones, that you might feel the same way about accessories," he shrugged, and looked down. "The guys and Miley chipped in, though I didn't tell them it was for your birthday present." he added as an afterthought.

And yeah, the other might have payed for it as well, but Mitchie knew that the whole idea were none other than Nate's, and that made the tears spit out of her eyes.

"It's absolutely perfect," Mitchie whispered in his ear, as she hugged him tightly.

* * *

_... i don't know who i'm gonna talk to now at school, but i know i'm laughing on the car ride home with you..._

* * *

After their little adventure at the postoffice, much to Mitchie's surprise, Nate took her home for dinner to meet his father and little brother Davie that wasn't touring with the whole crew. Everyone thought it best for the youngest, (and completely music uninterested) Gray brother to have the most normal childhood, the lifestyle the rest of the family had chosen, could provide. Other than his obvious lack of music skills, Mitchie thought the little boy to be absolutely adoreable, and he was slowly creeping in as her favorite one of the boys. Nate's father, was of course one of the nicest man Mitchie had ever met, and she couldn't really expect anything else with the polite and fantastic boys he had raised.

Now Mitchie and Nate were on the way back to the city in the black SUV. The fact that Nate had insisted on 'driving' her home, was ridiculous to her. He was going back to Wyckoff the same night, and though she had told him that she was very well capable of sitting in the car alone, he had insisted on coming with her, hence it was his fault that she was in New Jersey in the first place. After awhile Mitchie had grown tired of the argument, and let Nate win. It wasn't like she had anything against him going with her, anyway.

The only sound in the car was the light tapping on the steering wheel, provided by the driver and Nate's soft humming, whereas Mitchie remained mute, her actions being looking out of the window, observing the dark freeway that passed by before her eyes. She turned her head to Nate, who was scribbling down words on a scruffy piece of paper, which would probably soon turn into one of C3's number one hits, and Mitchie had to laugh.

"You're such a workaholic, you know that?" she startles Nate, who then didn't catch the light mood of the question and answered in all seriousness, "Yeah, I can't imagine _not_ working anymore,'' he shrugged with a blissful smile on his face, before bowing his head, his eys returning to the paper.

"I can," the girl continued, and Nate looked at her again, "It will feels like living. I can imagine us grey & old," she said, her smile not reaching her eyes. "I will be sitting in Miami, and play bingo or whatever it's called, and I'll wear one of those funky golf-summer-caps, and I would probably have gained a couple of pounds... or twenty," she added in an afterthought, gaining a laugh from Nate who was now somewhat committed to the conversation, and not as distant as he had been a moment before, "and you," she turned her body to him, this subject making her somewhat sad, but she didn't feel like stopping, "you'll be living somewhere cold, like chicago--" she was cut off by a confused curly haired boy.

"Why Chicago?" he asked and made the most adoreable face Mitchie had seen for a long time, but then she had to remind herself that it was just _Nate_. Nate wasn't adroable. Not like that anyway.

"Well, how should I know? It's your future! Anyways, you'd be all grumpy and miserable and be like, once I was a teenage popstar and no one will believe you, 'cause clearly no one remembers you, so everyone will think that you're super pathetic she finished off, mentally counting how many times she had said 'and'. One too many, that's for sure.

Nate, whose face wasn't so amused as it was when Mitchie had told about her future, decided to comment on her fortune-telling traits. "Not that this isn't a _very_ nice story, but do you actually have a point?" he grumbled, causing a small smile to stretch on Mitchie's features.

"Yes, I do! You're a workaholic!" she exclaimed, like she just found the cure for cancer. Which in her case, actually would be very convenient.

"But you already just told me, so why did you have to bring in a miserable version of old me in to the picture?" he whined, clearly not pleased with how Mitchie thought his old days would play out.

"Yeah, I guess I could have left old you out of the picture, but then just talking about old me would seem really selfcentered, and I like the old Florida-living, cap-wearing me," she smiled proudly, and Nate shook his head at her silliness.

He grinned. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" he asked, oblivious to the fact that her face feel. She felt like she had to use all her strength to stretch down to pick her smile off the floor and plaster it on her face again.

"Yeah, I really would," she mumbled, and turned to the window signaling that the conversation was over. Something else that was soon to be over was the car ride, Mitchie concluded as she saw the familiar city lights shining down on her, and she felt the car come to a stop.

"We're here," the driver announced, and Mitchie smiled him a thank-you, before getting out of the car with Nate right behind her.

"So, thank you," Mitchie muttered, and looked down at her designer ballerina clad feet, suddenly feeling slightly awkward.

"Yeah, well you too," he said and scratched his neck uncomfortably.

She looked up at him, and wondered why they in one second could be so civil and normal, and then they could do an one-eighty and be so awkward around one another. It didn't seem right. So she pulled him in to a onearmed hug, and smiled into his shoulder.

"It's been the best birthday, ever," she mumbled, and she felt, on her shoulder, a smile breaking out on the boys face as well. They stood like that for a moment, Mitchie's heart soaring every single second of it, but she would never reveal that to anybody, not even herself, before they finally pulled apart.

No other words were exchanged between the two of them, Nate blissful smile imprinted in her mind as she made her way to her dorm, quietly as to not wake any of the house teachers. Luckily, she made it without anyone noticing her, and to her surprise she found Peggy wide awake when she entered the room.

"Mitchie! Oh my god, I've heard! What bitches!" the dark-skinned girl exclaimed the second the other girl stepped into the room, and suddenly the reality, that she had been hiding from with Nate, came crashing down on her, and it stroke her. They knew. All of them. She had to move. There was no doubt about it. Nate, Shane, Miley & Jason... they couldn't know. Never. She didn't want to lose them. Though lost in her train of thought, she wasn't too far away from consciousness to not be surprised at Peggy's foul mouth. She had never heard Peggy talk like that ever. Well, she hadn't really heard the girl talk at all.

"I mean god!" Peggy exclaimed angrily, "they are just too much! And because of this?!" Peggy asked no one in particular, and threw the same object Ella had slammed in Mitchie's chest earlier. Now come to think of it, she never really had a closer look at it. She unrolled it, and was shocked to see it was a magazine. Really, now the whole nation knew? Well, that's fucking fabulous! Now she had to move to another country, and forget all about her superstar friends. Great.

With more thorough inspection though, she realized it was Miley in her Hannah wig on the cover with the headline reading; _Hannah tells all; Boyfriends, Best Friends and touring with Connect 3!_Could it be? Mitchie almost didn't dare to say to hope, before the very outraged Peggy went on another ramble.

"and I mean, just because you're best friends with Hannah Montana? I don't get the big deal!" she exclaimed, and Mitchie felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders, as she frantically flipped through the pages, until she found the right one. She quickly scanned the article, until she found her name.

**Q: So, we've heard that you and the boys share the same best friend, what is up with that?**

_H: [laughs] Yeah, her name is Mitchie and she's just like the funniest and sweetest girl ever. She's like, one of the only persons I can really trust, and she's been there for me since day one, plus the boys love her_. _She's truly my best friend._

Mitchie felt a small smile dance on her lips, as she read the words. Next to the question were a picture of the two of them taken just before a concert with Miley in her Hannah-wig both of them making silly faces to the picture Shane was taking. Mitchie looked up from the article, and flew into the arms of Peggy.

Sure, she might not have all her friends anymore, but if she lost them over something as silly as this, she wasn't really sure she wanted that kind of friends. And at least she knew she had Peggy and Miley, and that was really the only girlfriends she needed.

That night, before she went to bed, Mitchie sent a text to Miley saying that they definitely needed to talk the next day, about the whole Nate ordeal. She felt asleep almost at once that night, with a smile on her face, and her head swimming with thoughts of the day she just spend. It had been painless, and fun.

It had been with Nate.

* * *

_... don't know how long it's gonna take to feel ok, but i know i had the best day with you today._

_

* * *

_

a/n: the ending was entirely too lame, and i'm too tired to proof read this. maybe tomorrow (: as always the chapter is based off a song, this time the best day by **taylor swift**. please review you guys? (: - it would make my entire day, thinking about how long time i've taken to write this.

days to write, seconds to review.

oh! and if you've got any good cr stories, please let me know cos i'm running on a low these days.

with love,  
cee 333333333333333333333 (told you it was with love,)


	8. Black Hole

Chapter 8  
Black Hole

-

**Sooner or later this will fall apart. It takes more than science to fix a failing heart** - _Black Hole_, Aqualung

-

You know what sucks?

When two of the people, you care about the most break-up. Which side are you supposed to be on?

Granted, Mitchie did meet and befriend Nate first, Miley had also grown to become her best female friend, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing either of them. They were like her family like all Mitchie's families of course someone had to screw up and make everything so devastatingly complicated.

Like now, the boys and Miley had been in town for two days, but Mitchie literally hadn't even seen the slightest glimpse of her male friends, because her now black headed best friend had taken up all of her time. It wasn't because Mitchie didn't want to hang out with Miley, and of course she had missed her, but she also so desperately wanted to at least just say 'hi' to her other friends.

What if Nate thought she had taken Miley's side in all of this? That would _not_ be good!

God, being Switzerland was beginning to be harder than Mitchie first had anticipated.

She and 'Hannah' were now fresh out of sound check and on their way back to blonde superstar's dressing room, when a voice made Mitchie hesitate her track.

''MITCHIIIIIIIIIIIE!'' someone yelled, and before she knew it the said girl was almost tackled to the ground in a bone crushing hug, courtesy of none other than the Shane Gray.

''Shane!'' she laughed and hugged him tight it being forever since she had seen him in the flesh.

''My god, Mitch. Have you put on weight?'' he asked teasingly, which made the girl gasp.

''Jerk,'' she mumbled, and hit his arm, while he just grinned and threw an arm around the other girl present in the hallway. ''Hey 'Hannah','' he said using air quotes around her fake name. Miley greeted him with a thankful smile, for acknowledging her presence.

He was after all the brother of her ex-boyfriend.

''So, actually, I do not come with peace, Montana,'' he said and made a dramatic sigh,

''I have a hidden agenda,'' he confessed and tried to look sad, but everyone who has ever been in the presence of Shane Gray will know he can't act to save his white skinny jeans clad ass.

''Spit it out, Gray'' she ordered playfully, her eyes filled with the usual spark it held before… well, before everything.

''Mitchie is going with me and the guys to sound check, sorry, but I discovered the talent she holds of being a best friend.'' He smiled, and tilted his head to the side with a shrug.

So that's how it was. Mitchie was dragged away to sound check, with Shane talking animatedly about something she wasn't really listening to, to be honest. She didn't even get the chance to say hi to either Jason or Nate before the boys' bodyguard had whisked her away to the first row.

Guess she wasn't seeing sound check from backstage, like she had with Hannah.

Shane, being the lead man and obvious diva that he was, counted for and soon the arena was filled with music that… Mitchie hadn't really anticipated coming from the guys.

It sounded nothing like the stuff they had played for her in private.

''_Falling in love, was something in the movies, falling in love, was something in a song, but it felt so real, so real about you and me, this can't be wrong, I think I see it now, I think I get it, I think I understand, now, I think I'm ready, I wanna be your man,_'' the boys finished, and looked expectantly at Mitchie who was utterly surprised, but nevertheless tried to cover it up with a not so convincing smile.

''That was…'' she trailed off, trying to find a decent word to describe the song she had just heard without hurting their feelings.

It wasn't bad (it was), it was just not something she would have thought the guys, that she knew, would have written.

''…an awful load of cookie-cutter popstar crap?'' Shane finished, and sighed loudly.

''I hate to say it, but yes.'' Mitchie agreed. ''What the hell was that?''

Nate put his guitar down, and sat down on the edge of the stage just beside Mitchie, who was now standing up.

''Our label company wont allow us to play our own music,'' he sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair.

Mitchie lifted her eyebrow in surprise.''But, Nate you write such beautiful lyrics, and the melodies you compose...'' she trailed off, and shook her head. Shane made an 'ahem' sound, which made Mitchie roll her eyes.

''Yeah, yeah, Shane you're a musical genious,'' she said in a dull monotone, but it nevertheless brought a satisfied smile to his lips, before he ran off with Jay, both of them talking something about food.

''How long have you not published your own music?'' she asked and studied Nate's features.

He shrugged. ''Forever. When we made the first album, we let the producers decided everything, because we were terrified that we would lose our record deal. We thought we would get to decided for ourselves on the second album. We did get half our own songs on it, but ever since then they have just been cutting down our own songs and fills it up with loads of sickeningly pop crap. This time, we don't even get one of our own songs on it, and it drives me fucking crazy!''

Mitchie wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how. She raised her hand to brush his hair out of his face, and tell him something comforting but she left her hand hanging awkwardly in mid-air.

Instead she tried to make him smile. ''You know, you always say you ramble, but this is the first time I have actually witnessed it,'' she smiled, which cause a little smile on his face.

''Yeah, guess so,'' he tried to laugh, but it didn't come out naturally.

She cautiously took his hand, afraid of his reaction, and gave it a comforting squeeze. ''It's gonna be okay, you know. If not for all five of us,'' she counted Miley with, ''then for you. You're gonna be president one day, you know.''

He smiled at her thankfully. ''I know,''

She rolled her eyes. ''You have been hanging around Shane way too much, you know,'' Mitchie commented and felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

_U up 4 lnch?_ _x_

''It's Miley,'' she stated and quickly sent back a positive reply. Mitchie looked up and saw the discomfort in Nate's eyes. She sighed.

''I wish you could just be in the same room together at least,''

''Not now Michelle,'' Nate waved her off, and it took everything in her not to strongly and verbally abuse him for using her full name. She was annoyed that she was the only one who had never gotten the full details on what exactly happened regarding Nate and Miley's break up, but she decided not too press the matter.

She had forgotten to take her medicine the same morning, and the effects of that was starting to show.

She was getting tired, and her usual dull head ache was becoming intense, but she knew that if she just got through lunch with Miley then she could easily rush home, take her medicine, rest a couple of hours and be fit for fight for tonights show.

''Well, I guess I ought to go now, then,'' she explained, and pushed strecthed her arms, automatically pushing herself off the stage, whcih she had been leaning on.

''Yeah,'' he agreed quietly and watched as his friend worked her way down the many rows, her destination the front entrance where she was designated to meet Miley, not in her Hannah atire.

''Mitch?'' he called out, which made her stop in her tracks as though she had anticipated him stopping her. She slowly turned around.

''Thanks,'' he said awkwardly, and though she didn't know what he was thanking for, she gave him a grateful smile. She didn't say anything, but nodded, and soon enough she was on her way again.

''Ready?'' Miley greeted with a bright smile which Mitchie couldn't decide to be real or fake. Mitchie had to grab Miley's shoulder for a second, feeling a little dizzy, but quickly gained her balance back.

''Yeah. Ready,'' she tried to smile, as they both got into the car waiting them.

-

The restaurant was nice, but she didn't take notice of that. It smelled like Italian food, but tasted like French. She didn't care for that either.

All she could focus on was how fast Miley could eat her food, so she could get back to the dorms as quick as possible.

Mitchie silently cursed herself as she got a rush of the familiar head ache times three. She always, _always_ had extra medicine in her bad, but of course today was the day she decided to sport her new bag (the one Nate gave her), where she had not yet stuffed her multiple pills in.

''So,... what about you and Nate?'' Miley asked Mitchie somewhat shyly.

''What about us?'' she replied, a hand going to her damp forehead. Just drink some water, take it easy, she told herself as she took a deep breath.

''It's just, you seem to spend a lot of time together, and I was just wondering--'' she was cut off by Miley.

''I'm not fucking interested in Nate, okay!'' she almost screamed, her sympthomps getting to her. She closed her eyes and muttered an apology to her friend before her.

Miley jumped back in her seat, and look at her friend in shock. Mitchie had grabbed the side of the table, to try to keep her balance, and she looked like someone who could pass out any minute.

''Mit, are you okay?'' Miley asked worriedly.

''I'm fine,'' she choked as she tired to stand up, but was swaying a little from side to side. ''I need- I need to go... I need to go--''

Miley jumped from her seat, and supported her friend, with the whole restaurant looking. ''I'm fine, I just need to go home,'' she explained, and closed her eyes for only a second before she felt herself falling from her friends grasp.

She heard her name being screamed in panic, but the sound was far away. At the moment everythings was far away and she felt like her fuzzy brain was exploding into a million tiny pieces.

And then everything went black.

* * *

a/n: cliffy! well, kinda. i know i'm the worst updater ever, but this time (unlike any other) i have a decent explanation!

i was on vacay with no internet acces whatsoever, but i did however write this short chapter while i was away.

i do have the next chapter half written and totally planned out, so all it takes is some nice little reviews (:

with love, x3


	9. Telling You

**Chapter 9  
Telling You**

-

**I hate to lay this on you, but I've been holding back these tears **- _Telling You_, Shawn Mullins

-

It was funny. They always say, that when you wake up in a hospital all you see is white and you have no idea where you are. In the books and movies, that is.

But Mitchie? She knew exactly where she was.

She knew the sterile smell, like others know the aroma of their grandma's home baked cookies.

The surroundings, to her, were like a college student going home over a weekend to find their old bedroom untouched, the colors, everything exactly as they left it.

She knew this hospitals. This room. She had been here before, way too many times for anyone to be anywhere as unpleasant as this.

''Mitchie!'' Miley's breathless voice reached the hospitalized girls ears, and she winced as bits and pieces came rushing back to her about the last minutes before her blackout. She closed her eyes, as trying to keep everything out but Miley's rushed voice still cut through to her.

''Oh my god, these damn doctors wouldn't tell me any goddamn thing! What happened to you? Suddenly you were just shaking all over, luckily there was this guy in the restaurant who was a doctor, who told me you were seizing or something! Why were you seizing? Everyone was freaking out, and of course I was too! Before I knew it, I was sitting in the ambulance holding your cold hand, and I thought you were dead! Don't you dare do that to me again! But luckily you weren't, obviously. And then I didn't know who to call, because let's face it, you don't talk much about your family, I could only think of your big sister, but she wasn't answering! But then the doctors were like, Mitchie Torres? And then, I don't know, they know you or something like that, and they called your grandma, and I felt stupid, because you told me that she was your guardian. But then they wouldn't let me through to your room, or even tell me anything about your condition because I wasn't related to you, and I think that's a load of bull, but anyway, I had to play the Hannah-card before they let me through,'' she explained, and Mitchie noticed for the first time the messy blonde wig sitting a little off on her friend's head.

''Mitchie, what the hell happened?'' her rant finally came to a stop, and Mitchie was surprised someone could go that long without breathing. Miley collapsed in the chair beside the bed, and as if to answering her unvoiced question she said; ''Singers lungs'' with a shrug, but then turned serious.

Before Mitchie could even get the chance to answer though, a doctor announced his presence in the room by knocking subtly on the door frame, before entering the room. Mitchie's room. Every time she got to the hospital this was the room they locked her in. It was rarely used by other than her, only if the hospital was backed up and needed the space.

''Hi Michelle. I wasn't hoping to see you so soon,'' dr. Graham greeted his favorite patient, and she gave an apologetic smile. She liked the doctor, he was very nice, but she would much rather have it that she didn't have to see him ever again. But she was just destinied to other things than, for example, the girl sitting next to her.

Miley was going to live a long and happy life. She was going to get married with a wonderful husband, Mitchie knew, and get lots of babies.

She was probably never going to settle down with a rose garden and a white picket fence, somewhere in the suburbs of a big city, but wasn't that after all just a little overrated?

Mitchie, with the torn family she had grown up in, didn't know if it was. And what pained her the most, was knowing that she probably never would.

However, as much as she complained to herself, she was slowly accepting it. She was never going to be okay with the fact that some disease was eating at her brain like it had gotten a discount ticket to an all-you-can-eat buffet, but acceptance was something she was nearing slowly. In baby steps, though she knew she didn't have time for anything less than hurried skipping.

''I'm sorry, dr. Graham,'' she replied, and he gave her a sympathetic smile.

Saying that he was like a father figure for Mitchie, was might stretching it a little far, but she had nevertheless been at his and his wife's, a sweet nurse called Penelope, house on several occasion and she had met his two sons, ages three and five.

Why the Graham's had taken a liking into her, she never knew, but it was something she was grateful for.

She liked them. But they were still apart of her life, that she didn't want any of her friends knowing about, which was why she wasn't exactly thrilled about Miley's, well Hannah's, presence.

She knew she was going to tell her. And soon. And for that, she was sorry. Both for her own and Miley's sake. Her friend might say she wanted to know the truth know, but if she knew it… would she then regret getting it told?

''You should be,'' she thought she heard him mumble, and Mitchie looked up at him with tear brimmed eyes.

''It's that bad?'' she chokes on her tears, as Miley sits with a question mark printed on her face, though she has enough class not to question anything before she knew Mitchie was ready to answer.

''I really think I should wait until your grandmother arrive, or at least in private to tell you anything,'' his voice was soft, but his eyes that was resting on Miley was stern.

Obviously, he was not so keen on Hannah Montana that he found it appropriate to break hospital rules, just for the sake that she was a celebrity. It probably had something to do with the fact that he had two boys, Mitchie concluded. If he had gotten daughters instead, clearly he would have understood the power Hannah Montana holds over people.

Mitchie shrugged. ''I'm going to give her the full story afterwards anyway,'' she explained, and though dr. Graham seemed hesitant at first, he soon began to tell the details.

''Mitchie, the tumor that is sitting on your brainstem is growing bigger with every passing day. As your doctor, it's my duty to inform you that it's still possible for us to operate you, but I have to give you the odds--'' he tried to explain, but was cut off by Mitchie's bitter voice.

''I know the odds. There will be no surgery,'' she stated with a finality that surprised Miley.

Dr. Graham closed his eyes in pain for the young girl, sad too see her go through these decisions with no one else but a soon-to-be washed out pop star by her side. In ten years the only thing people would hear about Hannah Montana was when she appeared on one of those 'What happened to them?' programs on E. Well, that was only his opinion of course.

''Maybe we should wait to your grandmother gets here to make that decision,'' he suggested, ''she is after all your guardian,''

''Granny will tell you exactly the same as I just told you. There will be no surgery,'' she stated again, and turned her eyes to her doctor with a look that shut him up.

''Very well then,'' he said, ''if there's anything, just call one of the nurses or me, preferably if there's anything serious. I know Penelope is on-call today, so she'll probably pop in later,'' dr. Graham informed Mitchie, to which she nodded and told him to have a continuing good day.

When he had left the room, Miley turned to Mitchie. ''Mitch, I heard that doctor say something, but I pray to god it's just some medical language, so will you please just tell me what's wrong with you, and why all these people know you by your first name! It's freaking me out,'' Miley said on the brim of tears, and Mitchie brushed some of the saltwater that had stained her own cheeks away with her palm.

''Are you sure you want to know?'' Mitchie asked quietly, her mind going back to her previous brooders.

Miley gave a cautious nod, and Mitchie began her story. Of how when she was eleven, her arm had started jittering and twisting out of her control, and how her then happy parents had gone to the doctors with her.

The doctor hadn't had a clue as to what was wrong with her, but had known it wasn't normal, and sent her to the emergency room with an ambulance. Back then, in that moment, she had thought it was wicked cool, because they had drove with the sirens on and everything.

There had been taken lots of test on her, before she finally got her sentence. 'Brain cancer' was the words they had used to describe it to her then, so she could somewhat comprehend what was going on in her head.

They had given her 10 years. But it seemed now, that with everyday that went by, that timeframe was getting smaller and smaller.

Miley had tears in her eyes now, but Mitchie's had stayed dry.

The telling was like a recording, being played over an over again. The voice wasn't her own, but a distant, cold, unfamiliar sound. And though she could hear the words perfectly, and she understood that it was a sad tale, she remained somewhat unaffected.

''But… why did you refuse surgery? I mean… is that even legal?''

Mitchie chuckled in a dry, unhumorous manner so unlike her normal bubbly, at times slightly obnoxiously loud laugh.

''It was inoperable. The tumor. If I go into surgery there's only a fifteen percent chance of me surviving, and even if I do survive, there's only a 2 percent chance of me not going blind, amnesiac, numb… I might lose the ability to recognize people's faces… I wouldn't be… me,'' she tried to reason with Miley.

Her eyes though, let the healthy girl know that her head was somewhere far away, somewhere unhappy.

A million thoughts rushed through the popstars head. This was simply not happening. It wasn't supposed to! First her mother, now her best friend… It was just not supposed to happen…

''Have you told the boys?'' Miley finally managed to choke out, and for the first time that night, they looked eye to eye and the blonde girl was immediately let in on all the mixed emotions going through her ill friend's head.

''No,'' Mitchie confessed, and broke the eye contact. ''And you're not going to.'' she decided defiantly but Miley wouldn't have any of that.

''Oh no, I already called them, they're on their way.'' she stated, ''you have to tell them, Mitchie! Don't you get it?''

''No, frankly I don't. It's my head, my brain, my tumor, my business!''

''But don't you see? It's not. Not when it's something that will potentially take you away from us. From the people who love you. And god knows Nate loves you! And Shane and Jason,'' despite of their serious argument, Mitchie had to roll her eyes. There she went with the whole (non-existent) Nate thing again.

''I know!'' she screamed, immediately shutting Miley up. ''I know, okay? I feel guilty about it, every fucking day of my miserable life! And yeah, it's fucking selfish not to tell, but guess what, I get to be fucking selfish sometimes, okay? Because I'm dying! I'm never going to be your maid of honor, I'm not going to live to see some brainy kid come up with the cure for aids! I'm never going to experience anything of how it's like to be an adult… I'm never going to experience love, and yeah that's sad, but I don't want to tell the entire world! I don't want to have people going, oh look, there's sad Mitchie, she's going to die, isn't that just fucking sad?!''

Miley was beginning to understand the other girls reasons, but despite of it, she still thought it was wrong. ''But…'' she began, her voice much softer than the heated tone she had used before, ''it's not the whole world, Mitch. It's your friends. Best friends. Heck they even consider you family,'' She tried to convince her, but was interrupted.

''Mitchie!'' Nate screamed, and nearly fell over in the doorway to said girls hospital room. ''What happened? Why are you in the hospital?'' he asked frantically, and almost ran to the bed, closely followed by his two brothers and their mother.

Mitchie's big brown eyes shot to the other girls orbs, waiting for the blue-eyed girl to say something. Sure, Mitchie could just come up with something real quick, but Miley could immediately call her on her lie, so really, it was out of her hands.

Her expression was pleading, but Miley was still torn.

''Well…''

-

_a/n: This is just ridiculously bad. I'm not even gonna go in details about the shittyness of this chapter, but I'm just so tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired. _

_Oh, btw; __did any of you go see harry potter and the halfblood prince?__ I loved it. _

_Stay lovely,  
xx_


End file.
